


Sense of Security

by liziscribbles



Series: Two Sparrows [2]
Category: Persona 4, Persona Series, Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, crossover character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 11:11:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 75,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2267538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/pseuds/liziscribbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the events of Corrupts Absolutely, the team has grown up and moved on with their lives.  Unfortunately, another situation involving the Midnight Channel crops up and throws them for a loop.  Character crossover with Jude Mathis from Tales of Xillia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Time

_time will ask, time will fly,  
time will give you wings like a butterfly..._

**January 2nd, 2015**

The snow always reminded Yosuke of Inaba. It wasn't like he was light years away, no, but something about looking out the window of his seventh story apartment, something about the clean, white sheet on the ground made him wistful. _It's not like you couldn't just jump on your car and go,_ he thought to himself, chuckling a little. _You do it every friggin' morning._ Okay. So, maybe his wistfulness wasn't so much for the place. He saw enough of it to make that unnecessary. It was more for a time. A simpler time. Back in high school, when things _weren't_ decided. Back before the murders.

He shook his head to push that thought away. More than two years had passed without incident. Sometimes he wondered if it Souji admitting that he had an accomplice was just his way of trying to make them all doubt themselves even more. Every now and then, though, he found himself thinking back to that time. There were so many things that he still wanted to know. So many answers he still wanted. Souji was in jail now; if he _really_ wanted those answers, he could visit and get them easily.

 _Stop,_ he thought. _Stop thinking about that. You were thinking about Inaba. Go back to that._

Okina was so different from Inaba. Everything there felt more drastic, more serious. More final, maybe. _Can you imagine living in a big city?_ he asked himself. _If you think Okina's different..._ Or maybe it was just Yosuke himself who was different. He'd lived in the city not _too_ long ago, but back then he'd been a teenager. Everything had seemed more exciting. Now, though... now it was just a city. Just buildings and asphalt and people. Maybe it was because it was so close to Inaba. Maybe it was because he still _went_ to Inaba every day for work. It was still nice, though, living outside of the sleepy town. Getting to _leave_ the no-action place every day after work instead of just taking his bike back to his parents house was kind of rewarding. A symbol of his adulthood, maybe.

Two years had passed. So much had changed and so much was the same. Life, in general, felt the same. No, he didn't go to school in the morning, but now he was working full-time hours at Junes, as his dad's assistant manager. It probably would have felt like a lot more responsibility, if he didn't already do most of it before he was out of high school. The only thing that was different now was the fact that he actually _wrote_ the schedule that people complained about.

And that was what he was doing. Or... what he should have been doing. He sat at the kitchen table, pencil in hand and eyes half on the window. Just because he had the holiday off didn't mean that he actually had the _whole_ time to himself. Tearing his eyes away from the window and looking back at the schedule in front of him, he scribbled another couple of names in. _Asuka-chan said she wanted Thursday off, so I'll trade her with Taka-kun, and then put Nozomi-kun on Saturday and Sunday._

Finally, his focus was on the task at hand, when he heard the sound of a thump on the door. Almost immediately, his attention was snapped. Not that he had a whole ton of focus to begin with. "It's open!" he called.

"Need you to come open the door for me!" an all-too-familiar voice called from the other side of the door.

Living with Jude had a lot of advantages. There was the obvious advantage of splitting the rent, but there were other advantages, too. Jude cooked and did most of the cleaning, and they carpooled to Inaba together when their schedules coincided—Jude's parents had bent more than a few rules to get him a job at Inaba Municipal as a nurse's assistant—but the biggest benefit was not living alone. Yosuke didn't really like being alone, and the only time he really _was_ alone were the days that he had off and Jude had to work. Today was one of those days, so he was beyond glad that his roommate was home.

Yosuke had a smile on his face as he pushed his chair back and stood up. "What am I, your slave?" he asked, his tone completely jovial as he made his way to the front door of the apartment.

He heard Jude laugh from the other side of the door and his smile quirked up a little higher in response. When he pulled the door open, he saw a Junes bag in his friend's hand and tilted his head, before starting to walk into the apartment. But he didn't get too far. Yosuke stepped around him and peered into the bag.

Jude laughed again. "What are you, twelve?" he asked.

"Feast!" Yosuke said excitedly with his nose in the bag. _Damn. He bought all the makings for sushi, sashimi, omlete with fried rice, ramen, tempura and curry rice..._ The pile of food had a very obvious reason. Yosuke knew full well what that reason was. "So, what army are _you_ feeding?" Just because he knew the answer didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun and ask the question.

With a laugh, Jude walked to the kitchen and set the paper bag on the table. "You _are_ an army, Yosuke." After a short pause, he shrugged. "But I'm just preparing for tomorrow."

Yosuke jutted his lip out in an exaggerated pout. "Y-you mean... all of this is for tomorrow?" he asked, pretending to be offended and disappointed.

Jude crossed his arms at his chest. "Yes. All of it." He pulled the fridge open, starting to put things away.

Standing by the bag, Yosuke frowned as he pulled a couple of things out to put away. "Really? All of it?" he asked, staring at the curry powder in Jude's hand.

With a sigh, Jude rolled his eyes and gave a playful grin. " _Except_ the curry, Yosuke. That's for dinner tonight." He let the wry little grin take over his face.

Honestly, Yosuke knew that. But it was still fun to play around every once in awhile. That was one of the things that he liked the most about Jude. For a short time, he would pretend to be serious about keeping secrets, but then he would break down and tell Yosuke everything. "You're the best." A beaming smile spread across his face. "But really," Yosuke said, "why'd you bring everything home early? I thought we were going shopping tomorrow morning, before everyone gets here." Not that he minded. If he didn't have to go to Junes or any other grocery store over his few days off, he would die a happy man whenever his life eventually ended.

Jude shrugged. "Rise called me earlier," he explained. "She and Teddie are getting in from Osaka tonight. They just finished filming their new season and they were going to wait until tomorrow when everyone else got here, but apparently Rise really can't wait to be with everyone again." He smiled. "So, they're going to stay here until the fourth, and then go back to Inaba with everyone else, to stay at Rise's grandmother's place until their press tour in March."

And that was Yosuke's favorite thing about their group of friends. No matter what happened, they always made time for each other. Since high school, they'd all gone their separate ways. Chie was training in the police academy, with the eventual goal to work under Dojima-san on the force. Yukiko was still working to take over the Amagi Inn, and she spent most of her off time at Chie's apartment a few blocks away. Although it surprised absolutely no one, the two of them "officially" revealed their relationship to the group almost a year ago. Naoto did a lot of detective work that took her all over the place; she'd garnered more respect after Souji got sent to jail. He always kind of figured that it was a bitter feeling to her, but she never really said anything about it. Unlike most of the others, she and Kanji had grown apart after high school. Kanji was still in Inaba, fresh out of high school and working with his mother in their shop. He didn't really talk a lot about the new friends he'd made, but all of the others were concerned about him regressing back to the way he'd been before they met him.

And then there were Rise and Teddie. Rise went back to work as an idol. She did the whole singing-and-dancing thing on the side, sure, but with Teddie's support, she went to try out for a new sitcom that an upstart writer put together. At the tryouts, the casting directors had loved Teddie so much that they cast him instantly, to play alongside Rise as her on-screen love interest. Honestly, it seemed like it was good for her, having Teddie close to her like he was. Having the link to home kept her grounded, and having Rise with him kept Teddie excited.

"Guess it's a good thing I washed the guest sheets, then, huh?" They'd prepared for this for weeks now. Last year, their meet-up had been at the Amagi Inn. This year, since the inn was bustling, their options were really limited to Jude and Yosuke's apartment and Chie's apartment. Since Chie's place was too small, it defaulted to them.

Jude chuckled. "I'm glad you remembered. I was going to call and remind you, but..." he trailed off.

Yosuke knew what that meant, too. He'd been on a date. Honestly, Yosuke knew that he went on dates. It had been two years since they revealed their feelings for one another, and Yosuke often cursed himself for adding that 'don't hold yourself in stasis' thing. Because of that, they'd never been single at the same time. Jude had dated a couple of guys, Yosuke had dated a couple of guys _and_ a couple of girls... and things never really matched up. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. They did sometimes. But on the rare occasions that they _did_ match up... well, Yosuke was just as much of a coward as he had been in high school. Sometimes, he could swear that he picked up hints of those same feelings when Jude looked at him. He knew, of course, that _he_ still had the same feelings. But... _but two years later and a little bomb drop from Souji still has you doubting everything. You really are pathetic._

And he didn't want to admit it, but there was a part of him that felt like Jude was the reason a lot of his relationships didn't work out. What was it his shadow had called it? A fixation? Two years had passed and it was still pretty damn strong. It didn't matter who he tried to date—and he _had_ tried, really—he'd rather spend his time with Jude. He felt more comfortable, more at home with him. He wondered if Jude realized how much he was ruining other men or women for him.

Mentally shaking himself out of his thoughts, he looked at Jude. "Eiko, right?" he asked. It was his fault things were so awkward when they talked about this. He couldn't let Jude feel it, too. "He stopped in to see you after work? I was wondering why you were a little late." He pushed his hair back from his eyes. It was a little long. Maybe he'd have to cut it.

"Mmm," Jude hummed and looked down. "And then we spent about fifteen minutes arguing about how I had to cancel on him tonight because Rise and Teddie were showing up. I decided, if he can't understand that, well. You know."

It was hard to stop the little grin that Yosuke felt spreading across his face, and he found himself incredibly grateful that his back was turned. Okay. It was probably wrong to be excited about things not working out for Jude, but the little feeling of victory—or maybe relief?—that he felt bubbling up in his chest was hard to ignore. A little protective part of him was certain that none of the people Jude dated were good enough for him, anyway. "That's a shame." He sounded convincing, right?

Jude closed the refrigerator and took out a few pots and pans, getting ready to make dinner. "I guess. I mean, it's disappointing, but if he can't understand that I was excited to see my friends who only come into town once a year?" He paused and laughed. "You know, I still don't think he believes that I know Rise. One of those 'just because you lived in Inaba doesn't mean you knew her' things, I think. Forget that he knows that my parents' clinic is right down the street from her grandmother's tofu shop." He sounded more than a little bit annoyed.

With a chuckle, Yosuke shrugged. "And forget that she mentioned all of us in that one interview." He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of soda, cracking one open and setting it in front of Jude. He sat on a stool, his back facing the counter and his eyes on Jude. "So, do you know when Rise and Ted will be here?"

Shrugging, Jude stepped over to the rice cooker and started it. "Rise called me when they left this morning, and it'll take them about nine hours to get here from Osaka. But I'm willing to bet that Rise got distracted shopping and Teddie just indulged her." He chuckled softly, starting the stove to mix the curry sauce together.

"Those two are a dangerous pair," Yosuke said, sipping from his soda bottle and then resting his elbows on the table behind him.

Jude smirked. "No more dangerous than Chie and Yukiko when they put their minds to it." He paused, thinking for a second, and then shook his head no. "Okay, that's totally a lie, but you can't blame me for trying to stick up for them, can you?" He turned his back from the stove and leaned against the counter, facing Yosuke and smirking.

The smirk made Yosuke's own mouth quirk upward, and his stomach knot. "I could, but I don't," he said seriously. "Not wise to blame the hand that feeds you, right?" He winked and ran a hand through his hair.

"Especially not one who has medical knowledge and knows what you're allergic to." Jude wagged his eyebrows playfully, and if he was even slightly menacing, Yosuke might have been afraid. But Jude wasn't scary. Not in the conventional ways.

Yosuke chuckled. "Unless that particular medically knowledgeable, allergy-knowing person is the type of person who always feels guilty when he has to kill a spider or gets all up-in-arms at certain episodes of certain crime dramas," he teased, giving Jude a significant look. There was about as much risk of Jude hurting him as there was the earth collapsing into a black hole. _You know that. So why..._ his brain teased him. He knew why. _Or at least you think you know that._ Still... he wondered if Jude still thought of back in the day, when they almost got together. Or if he _did_ think of it, how he felt about it.

"Raincloud." Jude's voice permeated the silence, and made Yosuke's eyes snap up from where they'd fallen on the floor.

With a chuckle, Yosuke shook his head no. "Not a raincloud, no. More like... a strong breeze. I was thinking." He pushed a hand through his hair. _I really need to cut you,_ he thought to his hair.

Without missing a beat, Jude said, "I _thought_ you looked sick." His voice was teasing. "What were you thinking about?" he asked.

Having him this comfortable around Yosuke was a real night and day change from how he'd been when they first met. Two years ago, when they were still tiptoeing around each other like thieves sneaking around at night, Jude _never_ would have made a joke at Yosuke's expense. And he never would have asked outright what Yosuke was thinking about. Hearing the question was nice, though. He definitely didn't mind. _Maybe..._ he thought, _maybe it's okay to tell him._

But as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, there was a rhythmic knock on the door. "Hell- _ooo_!" a familiar voice came clearly from the other side of the door. "It's so quiet out here in this hallway! I'm bear-ly clinging to sanity out here!" Two years, and Teddie still hadn't let go of those bear puns.

"Teddie!" Rise laughed a little bit. "Your jokes are going to make them leave us out here in the cold. Jude-kun, Yosuke-kun, you in there? I think I heard you!" she called into the apartment.

Yosuke looked at Jude, both lamenting and decidedly _not_ lamenting the end of the prior conversation. "Rain check?" he asked.

Jude half-smiled. "What is it with us and talking about rain?" he asked, in lieu of an affirmative or negative response. Like he knew that the rain check was indefinite, without even knowing what Yosuke was going to say. It was astounding how well he knew Yosuke sometimes. He turned back toward the stove wordlessly, and started working on the curry sauce.

The smile on his face faltered for a second. If the situation wasn't so fucked up; if _he_ wasn't so fucked up... they really could be great together.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another surprise guest arrives at the reunion, and Jude ponders his feelings.

Two years, and Jude _still_ wasn't used to having a big group of friends like this. Friends who visited every year; friends who called every week and texted every day. Friends who greeted each other with hugs like the ones that he'd just received from Teddie and Rise. She gave an eager growl into the hug, and Jude smirked a little bit. Yosuke followed up with a joke about her spending too much time with Teddie, the way she was growling and giving bear hugs, and the group of them devolved into laughter.

The friendship he had with Rise Kujikawa was unlike a lot of the others he'd had in his life. She was really more sister than friend. When he'd just moved to town, after Chie had bombarded him with questions, Rise was the first one to _really_ befriend him. He was sure that initially, it was partially because of convenience; they lived a few buildings away from each other, after all. But it didn't take long for them to become close. Rise had known, before anyone else, about his sexuality and about his crush on Yosuke. She had known, and she'd kept his secret; let it come out on its own time. It had been a similar situation with Kanji, and even still, he was the one who Kanji contacted the most of the entire group. Now, though... now it was nearly impossible to pick a best friend out of all of them (not that he really needed to). Nearly. His eyes slid over to Yosuke, where he helped Teddie set the table around the couch and recliners for dinner. The time he and Yosuke had spent together since high school had easily slotted him into that position alongside Rise.

"You might want to add another spot to the table," Jude told Yosuke and Teddie with a little chuckle, as he closed his phone. "Naoto will be here in about ten minutes."

Yosuke chuckled a little bit. "Sudden visits without planning ahead? That doesn't sound like the Naoto of old," he mused as he went to the kitchen and grabbed another plate, and another set of chopsticks. Luckily, they were prepared for all the sudden changes and pitfalls that inevitably seemed to crop up when they all got together.

Rise made a hissing sound and bit her lip. "I think I was supposed to tell Jude earlier, but I forgot." She gave an innocent smile and grabbed the pan from the stove. "I was texting him from this cute little shop where Teddie and I got all of your souvenirs, and I got kinda distracted." After shrugging one shoulder, she relaxed and breathed in. "Jude, this smells _amazing_!" she said seriously.

Jude didn't think a whole lot about his own cooking. It was a skill he'd picked up when he was younger, because his parents always worked late nights at the hospital back before they'd moved. He was used to eating his own food, so it was kind of old hat to him. But all of his friends seemed to like it so much that he was always relegated to cooking duty whenever they got together... not to mention every other day when Yosuke got home. Not that he minded in the slightest. He liked being able to contribute in his little way.

"It's just curry rice," he said with a little chuckle.

Teddie shrugged his shoulders. "It's better than what we ate on the set. Those caterers were trying to stretch my fur out with the food they bought!" He made a gesture with his arms, like he was widening his body.

Sighing in feigned exasperation, Rise rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. "It wasn't _all_ for you, Teddie, geez." She put her hands on her hips, but behind the exasperated expression, Jude could see a smile clearly on her face. "We had some Italian catering at one of our shoots and Teddie ate almost the whole lasagna himself. Like when he ate Yukiko's ramen that one time."

Giving a shocked face, Teddie shook his head no. "It's not my fault! It was so delicious that I couldn't stop. It was primal instinct! Yosuke, you know what I'm talking about, right?" He turned to Yosuke expectantly.

Yosuke's eyes were incredulous, and he shook his head no. "Don't look at me, dude. I always told you that one day your special brand of weird would catch up to you. Should've learned some human mannerisms when you had the chance," he shrugged dismissively.

But Rise shook her head no. "He's actually doing really well. We crafted a backstory for him. As far as anyone at the studio is concerned, he's from America. We've been working on his English, and no one's really the wiser about his past." Literally, no one. Not even them.

Jude had been talking a lot with Naoto recently, and sometimes, in their spare time, they'd look into shadows and what made them the way they were. Jude would occasionally use his position and Teddie's permission to get a look at his medical records, but nothing had changed over time, at all. His x-rays were literally a blur and he never so much as got a sniffle. It was fortunate, Jude supposed, because if he _did_ get sick, what could they do when he had literally no visible anatomy?

"I'm glad you guys are doing so well out there. Teddie, you're a way better actor than we ever imagined you'd be," Yosuke said honestly, as he sat down in his chair.

With a prideful smile, Teddie nodded his head. "It's just playing pretend!" he said seriously. "When I get carried away, Rise coaches me and the next scene is always right out of the park!" The eager excitement Teddie showed was comforting. Like a reminder of old times.

Just as Jude was about to sit down, he heard three knocks on the door and chuckled. "I've got it," he called to his friends and walked over to the door, pulling it open. He smiled at Naoto as soon as she came into view. "Naoto!" he said excitedly.

Much to his surprise, the woman who had always been known for her love of privacy reached out and pulled him to her in a hug. Honestly, he shouldn't have been terribly surprised, though. Time had matured them all. Naoto was still extremely professional most of the time, but when they were together as friends, as a small family like this, she was far more willing to do things like hug and smile than she used to be. A far cry from the uptight Naoto of old. She credited it to their friendship and how it was affecting her, but Jude figured it was just her own maturity.

"Jude, it's so good to see you!" He could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke, and it made him smile in response. "It seems like it's been far more than a few months."

Rise beamed at them. "Hi, Naoto!" she practically squealed as she hopped out of her seat on the couch to hug her, too. "Oh my gosh, you look so pretty! This is the most dressed up I've ever seen you!" she said honestly.

It wasn't really dressy attire; the most notable difference from how Naoto used to dress was the fact that she didn't take the extra effort to tape her chest down anymore, and how she allowed her hair to grow a little bit further than just wrapping her face. Maturity, as well as encouragement from _all_ of them, had afforded her the confidence to let go of her qualms and accept who she was.

"Th-thank you..." Naoto stumbled, and from where he was standing behind Rise, he saw the red painting her face. Okay, so she'd let go of _most_ of her qualms.

But, Rise either didn't notice or care how embarrassed she was. "Seriously, Naoto, your hair looks so pretty longer! Why didn't you wear it like that all along?" The answer was well known among them, but Rise, as ever, wasn't afraid to delve into uncomfortable topics.

After she said her hellos, and carefully averted too many questions from Rise, Naoto stepped into the living room and set her bag down on the floor. "Sorry, by the way. I was going to wait until tomorrow to come by with everyone else, but the informant I was supposed to be meeting never showed up, so-"

Yosuke cut her off with a warm smile and shook his head no. "We're glad. You guys know that all you need to do is tell us and you can come here whenever." He looked at Jude, and Jude nodded his agreement.

"That's actually half the reason we got such a big living room. So that between the couch and the floor, there would be room for as many of you as happenstance brought by at once," Jude explained. This was the first time it had actually happened that way, and it wasn't happenstance's responsibility, no, but now they knew.

Laughing sheepishly, Naoto nodded and ducked her head. "That's good to know, because this case could bring me to Okina a lot. That's actually a part of why I'm here tonight. I was in town looking into something, and..." she trailed off. "Sleeping on your couch will inevitably be a lot cheaper than staying at a hotel. And a lot better on gas than driving back to Inaba every night." She smiled an easy smile, quickly changing the subject from her current case. 

Curiosity had Jude (and from a cursory glance around the room, everyone else) wondering about what she was looking into, but he knew, as he was sure the rest of them did, that Naoto would never tell them what her case was about. She couldn't. Not unless it involved something about the other side. But the fact that she looked away and went completely quiet told Jude that wasn't the case. Still, that didn't change the curiosity in the slightest.

Teddie, seeming to pick up on that fact, gave a big smile and spoke up. "Not to mention the food's a lot better!" he said excitedly, half in the conversation, half-staring at the food on the table.

Everyone laughed, and Naoto looked at the table, too. "I think that's Teddie-speak for I'm hungry, so let's go and eat before he decides to act in character with his species," she joked.

Yosuke rolled his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. "Oh god, Naoto, don't encourage the bear jokes!" he said, half-serious.

And just like that, the five of them fell into easy conversation like they hadn't been away from each other for months. Having his friends, his dysfunctional little family so close to him like this; offering _his_ personal space (well, his and Yosuke's, anyway) to them so openly and having them make themselves at home for real... this was _really_ what home felt like. Not with his parents, but with people who _really_ accepted him for who he was, even with all his faults.

_Yeah, I could get used to this._

*

Everyone was settled in now, so much so that Rise actually fell asleep against Teddie's shoulder on the couch. The food was completely gone, and the dishes were mostly cleaned, save for the pots and pans which he could do tomorrow morning, before everyone else got into town. After handing Naoto her rollout mattress pad, Jude headed down the hall to his bedroom, completely content to go and watch some TV before he fell asleep. That was, until he passed by Yosuke's room. Maybe it was the excitement of the day, but Jude found himself loathe to go to sleep yet. For a second, he wondered if Yosuke was feeling the same, if he was still awake in there or if he'd just fallen to the pillow and immediately fallen asleep. He did that sometimes. Jude would pass by, see his light on and hear nothing coming from the room. Sometimes, he'd peer through door and and see him completely passed out, face down on the bed. It occurred to him once in a while that maybe he should knock first, but it had never backfired yet. If he happened to catch Yosuke awake, he'd just say goodnight. Sometimes it ended with him going to his own room, but sometimes, Yosuke would invite him in. If he wasn't awake, though, Jude would take the spare blanket on the foot of his bed and cover him over.

Tonight, though... he heard the sound of Yosuke's television on the other side of the door. His hand was in a fist, ready to knock, but he thought better of it. Up until this recent vacation, Yosuke had been completely exhausted. Anyone could see it. He worked harder than most anyone at Junes, so it wasn't surprising that he was so tired. If Jude kept him busy, he wouldn't be able to catch up on all that sleep he lost, and Jude remembered what happened _last_ time he was sleep-deprived like that.

It had only been two years ago, but sometimes it seemed like a lifetime. So much had happened so quickly. No sooner had he learned about the TV world, than he was thrown into a whirlwind mystery, that (seemingly) ended with all of his friends completely devastated by the news that someone they'd trusted implicitly had betrayed them all along. Their recovery had taken a long time, not that he didn't understand. It felt like they'd walked around in a devastated funk for months after Souji went to jail. Jude expected it, as soon as the news came to light, but it didn't change the fact that it made him feel terrible that there was nothing he could do about it.

And it had definitely been nice when, one by one, they started coming out of it. Ironically, the first one to come back to her old self was Rise. But really, Jude hadn't been as surprised as the others probably were about that. She was a lot stronger than people gave her credit for. The way she dealt with Souji's betrayal, even before the rest of the group realized how grand it had been, was admirable. She'd been strong, faced it with a brave face, but Jude and Teddie, and sometimes Kanji, had seen her at her darker points. When she would see something that reminded her of Souji and start crying. It had been at her insistence, though, that they were the only ones to see her that way. It was harder on everyone else, she said.

It had taken Yosuke the longest to get back to his old self. No one was surprised at that, honestly. The bomb that he dropped in Yosuke's brain, the reminder that you couldn't truly know anyone's intentions; there was nothing crueler that Souji could have said at the moment, because he was the actual proof of its truth. Jude had assumed that it was his way of assuring that he'd haunt the group for years to come. And for the most part, it had worked, especially when it came to things between Jude and Yosuke.

The promise not to hold himself in stasis had been both easy and difficult to make. He didn't want to be the guy who lay there pining every night for someone he couldn't have, and the reasons he'd given to Yosuke for wanting to wait to get together had been solid. They hadn't known each other for long at the time. Plus, he had definitely been right about one thing; it gave them a chance to grow as friends. On the flip side, though, sometimes he wondered if Yosuke even remembered. Sometimes he wondered if his friend even _thought_ about how close they'd gotten to actually being together back in high school.

There were times when he thought he saw that familiar glint in Yosuke's eye, but every time it happened, it disappeared quickly. It was hard, dating other people when the one he knew he really wanted was just a couple of rooms away. It was even _harder_ watching Yosuke date twice as many people... people that Jude didn't think were even _close_ to good enough for him. The hardest part of all, though, was not knowing; was the big question mark over his head when it came to thinking about Yosuke's feelings; was _knowing_ his own feelings.

Over time, his feelings had definitely changed, but not in the way feelings usually did over time. It was both cruel and kind living with Yosuke. On the one hand, they were closer than they'd ever been; closer than Jude had ever really been with _anyone_. But on the other hand, well... living so close to the person that Jude was almost positive that he was in love with? That was beyond unfair. _You definitely need to stop thinking about this..._ he thought. _You're going to drive yourself insane. Yosuke promised to talk to you if things change. So... he will._ Right?

It was only at that moment that he realized that he'd been standing in front of Yosuke's door for at least five minutes now. Shaking his head hard to snap himself out of his train of thought, he started to walk away.

He made it two steps before he heard the door click open behind him. "You know, I saw your shadow underneath the door just standing there, and I was waiting for you to knock." Jude could hear Yosuke's whisper clearly in the hallway.

Jude jumped and turned around, quirking an awkward grin. His cheeks heated up and he pressed his lips together, before he finally realized that he should probably up. "Sorry. Got lost in thought and then I decided I didn't want to bother you." He pushed his hair back from his eyes.

"You're not bothering me. I can't sleep anyway." As soon as Yosuke finished talking, they heard a mumbling noise coming from the living room—possibly in Teddie's voice—and they both laughed softly in response. The ridiculousness of how it sounded was easily looked over by how happy they were that their friends were back with them. "Why don't you come in? I was just channel surfing, but I came across one of those classic movies you like. We can watch it while we wait to get tired."

For a split second, Jude considered turning him down. His mind was too much of a roller coaster for it to be a good idea for them to do this tonight. But it wasn't like it was an uncommon occurrence. When they couldn't sleep, they always did things like this; watched movies together or just sat and talked when nothing was on TV. If he wanted to keep things normal, not let on that his brain was a train wreck about their non-situation, then he needed to be normal.

"Alright," Jude finally responded, turning around and walking into Yosuke's room. He just hoped he didn't do anything idiotic, like fall asleep in Yosuke's bed or something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I'm still most comfortable writing Yosuke, I thought it would be fun to throw in occasional chapters from a third person omnipotent POV of Jude. I hope you guys like it!


	3. Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few words from Chie spark a certain curiosity in the group.

**January 3rd, 2015**

Yosuke wasn't exactly sure when he'd fallen asleep, but he was definitely sure that it was at least a half hour after Jude had fallen asleep. It probably would have been easy enough to wake Jude up, or even to get a spare blanket from his closet and crash on the floor for the night. But a small portion of his brain, a masochistic part, had completely overtaken his sense and convinced him to just sleep in his bed. Next to Jude. Nothing happened, no, but no matter how many times they stayed up until the wee hours of the morning watching movies, the visitor was always careful to leave before he fell asleep.

Between the two of them, Jude was the last one he expected to break that trend. It didn't matter, though. It wasn't like falling asleep in the same bed was a sordid affair to remember. _Not that you'll forget it any time soon,_ his brain teased.

When Yosuke woke up at around ten a.m., Jude wasn't awake yet. Maybe he should have done something, woken him up, but it wasn't common for Jude to sleep in anymore. Usually, Jude was out the door before Yosuke even woke up in the morning, since he needed to be to work at six, so the fact that he was actually allowing himself to sleep in? Yosuke couldn't bring himself to ruin that.

Gently closing the door, he walked out into the living room, and was both surprised and not surprised to see that everyone was awake. Teddie was watching TV, Rise was reading a magazine and Naoto was typing something on her laptop... and a stack of pancakes sat on the counter. They looked normal. _I just hope Naoto made them..._ he mused inwardly.

"Morning, Yosuke!" Teddie's cheerful voice rang throughout the room when he spotted Yosuke from the corner of his eye. "Naoto made banana pancakes!"

With a sigh of relief, which elicited a glare from Rise, Yosuke walked over to the counter to get himself a plate. "Thanks, Naoto," he said. She didn't miss a beat on her laptop when she nodded and smiled. "So, have any of you heard from Chie, Yukiko or Kanji yet?" They hadn't really set a time, but knowing Chie, she was probably shoving Yukiko out the door. Kanji would get there whenever he felt like it. That was just how he worked.

Teddie nodded excitedly. "Yuki-chan texted Rise right before you came out here. They're on the road and they just passed Moel, so they should be about fifteen minutes," he said with a mouthful of pancake.

With a slightly anxious, apprehensive look on her face, Naoto spoke up. "Kanji-kun said that he's going to leave as soon as he fills up his motorcycle, so they'll probably get here around the same time." It wasn't until right then that he realized... Naoto was actually wearing makeup. With a hard blink, he tilted his head in surprise at her.

But Naoto blushed and looked away. Rise looked up from her magazine with a beaming smirk on her face. "Oh! You noticed?" she asked excitedly. "Naoto wanted to get all made up for Kanji! She hasn't seen him at all since last year, so..." With a shrug, Rise peered down at her magazine again. "I helped her while you guys were still zonked out."

"Rise..." Naoto's voice was very obviously embarrassed by the whole situation.

It was amusing that, two years later, she was still under the assumption that no one knew about the unresolved feelings between her and Kanji. For an ace detective, though, she still needed a lot of work with hiding her emotions. Yosuke found himself smirking in spite of the situation. Some personality aspects stuck around forever.

Yosuke sat at the counter to eat, and no sooner had his fork hit the plate when Rise stood up and turned around excitedly. " _I'm_ gonna go get Jude. He'll be bummed if he misses when the others get here!" she said seriously. And without another word, he started down the hallway, toward Jude's room.

Wincing, because he knew exactly where Rise's mind would go, he chewed on his lip. "He's not in his room, Rise..." he muttered quietly. "He's in mine." His voice was quiet, but still above a whisper.

The whole room went quiet, and he could almost hear Rise put on the brakes from around the corner. Yosuke blinked and looked away from the three pairs of eyes that were on him. Teddie's expression was shocked, Naoto's was expectant, and he couldn't see Rise's right away. But as soon as he found himself wondering, she peered back around the corner with a significant look on her face.

"Oh-ho!" Rise exclaimed. "You mean you-"

Yosuke shook his head no, cutting her off before she was able to put any ideas in Teddie's head. God knows, if he got the wrong idea, they'd never hear the end of it. "Nothing like that!" he insisted, his face heating up as he looked down at his plate. "It wasn't!" He blushed deeper against the doubtful glances his friends were giving him. "We couldn't sleep, so... so Jude came in and watched movies with me. And he just fell asleep and..." he trailed off. "S-stop looking at me like that!"

As expected, Naoto was the first one to look away. She was still smiling, though. Teddie still stared, long after Rise turned back down the hallway with a crafty little smirk on her face, and Yosuke felt like his face was going to burn off, with how red it was. Of all the nights for Jude to fall asleep in his bed, it had to be the one where the ace detective, the perceptive idol and the nosiest bear of all time were at their place. _Probably payback for all the hell I gave them back in high school,_ he thought to himself, focusing too hard on his plate and trying to ignore Teddie's intense gaze.

With his pancakes half-finished on his plate, he stood up. "I... think I'm going to go take a shower before the others get here." Anything to get away from the nosy-bodies.

He passed by Jude in the hallway, noting the completely embarrassed look on his face. Yeah. Rise had definitely given him the third degree. Possibly even the fourth degree, by the way she was grinning wildly as she walked down the hall in front of him. But why was she grinning like that? Nothing had happened, right? So... she had no reason to look so smug. Yosuke gave Jude an apologetic look. He'd make a point to actually apologize later.

*

Fortunately, any outward awkwardness dissipated before the others got there. God, if _they_ caught wind of this? He'd never hear the end. Yeah, when he left the bathroom and let Jude take his turn, he got another third degree of questioning—("you're _sure_ nothing happened?" "Nothing happened, Rise..." "Well, you're both _acting_ like something happened." "Maybe that's because you won't leave us alone about it!")—and finally the topic slowed a little bit. Thankfully, the line of questioning ended completely, shortly after that.

Before too long, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by a significantly louder voice.

"Yukiko, they're not going to hear you if you knock softly like that!" There wasn't a bit of malice in Chie's voice, and the laugh that followed was lighthearted and good natured. "You gotta put some feeling into it!" She knocked louder, rhythmically and eagerly.

Yukiko laughed a little bit from the other side of the door. "Right! Got it!" she said eagerly, then repeated the rhythmic knock, in spite of the fact that Yosuke was already on his way to the door. Everyone in the room laughed.

Before Yosuke reached the door, he heard Kanji protesting and stopped in his tracks. Sometimes hearing things like this was better than any greeting. "You didn't need to do it after her, Yukiko-senpai," he teased. High school was over, and he still insisted on calling them all senpai. It was both nice and weird, all at the same time.

As much as he wanted to allow the conversation to devolve a little further, because everyone was definitely laughing, he pulled the door open and gave the three visitors an amused arched eyebrow. "What are you guys, the Three Stooges?" he asked in lieu of a traditional greeting. "I half-expected to come out here and find you all hitting each other over the head with inflatable hammers." But as he finished talking, he stepped out of the way so they could come into the apartment.

The girls both laughed, but Kanji had a slightly unimpressed expression on his face, likely at being called a Stooge. Yosuke was about to turn and walk into the room when he felt Yukiko's arms wrap around him in an eager hug. "It's good to see you, Yosuke-kun," she said softly. 

Chie echoed her sentiments, and hugged him right after Yukiko finished. "This place is a lot cleaner than I expected." Her frank comments hadn't changed, and honestly, Yosuke was glad for that. "I thought with you here, Jude would be at his limit cleaning, and it'd be a disaster area." Chie would always be Chie.

It wasn't like they didn't see each other often. Yosuke was in Inaba almost every day. But when they _did_ see each other, it was always short. Yosuke had some work errand to do, or Yukiko was just stopping by to get some extra ingredients for dinner at the inn. Chie would come by to get ingredients for Yukiko to practice cooking, too; but they were never really together for long enough to catch up. The last time he'd really spent any extended period of time with them was at last year's summer festival, so it was definitely good to see them now. Even with the teasing and scathing comments from Chie.

Yosuke laughed a little bit. "I help clean sometimes too, you know."

With a laugh from behind Chie, Kanji extended his hand for one of those awkward man-hugs. "Bet the only reason it's so clean is because they knew they were having company." He crossed his arms after the man-hug broke and looked over at the couch. "Bet if you look under the couch, you'll find underwear and all the magazines they don't want you to see."

That was all Teddie needed to hear. He was on his feet, then the next second he was laying flat on his stomach on the floor, greeting hugs completely forgotten in the face of potentially nosing into his friends' privacy. "Aw, Kanji!" he called from the floor. "You got me all excited for nothing! There's no magazines, no pictures... no _bear_ bottoms of any kind down here! It's totally clean!" he said desolately.

From the other side of the living room, Jude's voice came clearly as he returned from his shower. "Boy, I sure picked an interesting time to come back into the conversation..." He stood wide-eyed, looking down at where Teddie lay on the floor.

"Jude!" Chie called excitedly, and bounded up to Jude to hug him just as tightly as she'd hugged Yosuke.

As Yukiko hugged him, after he said his hello to her, he looked around the room. "Do I even want to know what you were talking about before I came back out here? And why Teddie is apparently looking for bare bottoms under the couch?" he asked.

Yukiko giggled and shook her head no. "The less you ask in this case, the better, I think. Let's just say that Kanji-kun was putting ideas in his head, and you know how Teddie is with ideas..." She wasted no time going to the rest of the group and greeting them, too.

"Sorry 'bout that," Kanji said with a wry grin on his face that said he wasn't sorry in the slightest. He walked up to Jude and gave him a handshake-hug, too, then walked around the rest of the room to greet the others.

Yosuke noticed, with both concern and slight amusement, exactly how awkward Kanji's greeting with Naoto was. They said their hellos, and he did hug her (and it wasn't even a handshake-hug), but the awkwardness seemed just as strong as it was in high school. Kanji stared at Naoto in wide-eyed wonder, which was understandable, considering this was a very far cry from the Naoto he probably remembered, physically. Honestly, Yosuke couldn't remember the last time the two of them were at an event like this together. Had he seen her at all since they'd graduated last year? It was a distinct possibility that he hadn't, so seeing her looking more feminine? Yeah, it was probably a surprise. Shockingly, though, he managed to keep himself together enough to say hello.

Finally, the whole group of them was together. This... yeah, this was nice. Busy, and very exciting, but nice.

*

By lunchtime, things had settled down considerably. Everyone was settled into the apartment now, and they'd all fallen back into easy, casual conversation. Rise was gushing to Yukiko about how pretty she'd look in some of the clothes that she bought, and somehow, Chie had challenged Kanji and Teddie to a beef bowl eating contest at Aiya when they got back to Inaba, and now they were trash talking. Naoto was in the kitchen, helping Jude put lunch together for the group. Yosuke, for his part, had been floating between groups, enjoying the better parts of each conversation; really just enjoying having everyone together.

As soon as Jude and Naoto came back into the living room and set the food in front of them, Chie took it upon herself to put the whole room into an emotional whiplash, though. "So, did you guys hear?" her voice filled the room and everyone jumped to attention. The expression on her face said that she'd been about to burst. Like she'd wanted to bring this up since she stepped into the door and holding it in for another second would kill her.

"About?" Yosuke asked, arching an eyebrow.

Naoto looked like she knew what was coming, which was slightly odd, but she didn't say anything. Instead, Chie kept speaking. "Back in Inaba, people have been saying that the Midnight Channel has been coming back on. It's weird, though." She paused for a second to grab a few pieces of tempura beef. "No one's been on it, from what I've heard,." She didn't bother to stop talking once she put a piece of food in her mouth. "It's just been static."

Yukiko nodded her head. "We heard about it yesterday afternoon, and we watched it last night." She leaned toward the table, filling a small bowl with some shrimp and rice. "We were going to call you if it came on, but..." She shook her head no. "Of course, it wasn't raining, so we wouldn't have been able to see it anyway." She bit her lower lip.

"I'd heard some rumors about it, too, though. Last month, when I was in town visiting with my grandpa," Naoto said seriously, stirring her mirin dipping sauce with her chopstick. "About people just seeing static. I checked it then, too, and it _was_ snowing, but nothing happened."

Scratching a hand through his hair, Jude took a seat next to Yosuke on the floor. "So, what... are they just rumors, then? I mean..." he shrugged his shoulders. "It's not completely out of the realm of possibility that people would just spread things like that around just for the sake of it, right?" And he was right, it wasn't.

Yosuke shrugged and spoke with a half-full mouth. "Inaba will be Inaba," he stated plainly. "When people get bored, they start rumors, right? And sometimes they recycle old rumors." At least, that was how it had been in his experience. Still, it was a little strange to be hearing about it again with radio silence for so long.

Naoto shrugged her shoulders and finished chewing and swallowing. "I honestly don't know," she answered. "It's hard to say without having seen it myself. And there's still so much about the Midnight Channel in general that we don't understand, right?"

At that, Rise gave an earnest nod. "Like where it even came from. And how personas automatically meant that we could enter." She took a sip of her drink and sighed.

It was funny. He hadn't really thought too much about that question since the case had closed. Most of his thoughts concerning the case three years ago were about the fighting. About how he missed it, and how sometimes he wished that he could just go back into the TV and blow off some steam. But that simple statement from Rise brought all those unanswered questions right back to the forefront. There were still a _lot_ of answers they didn't know.

"It bugs me," Kanji started, "thinkin' that the TV world's still there. Like, was it there all along, even before all that shit three years ago?"

Teddie nodded. "It's always been there, yeah," he told them. Sometimes it was easy to forget that he'd actually _come_ from that world. "It probably won't go away without some kind of bear-acle." He just shrugged and continued shoveling food into his mouth.

The silence that filled the room as soon as Teddie finished speaking was kind of heavy. Yosuke had to admit, he was tempted to suggest that they just charge into the TV, look around and see if there was anything going on. It wasn't like they couldn't get right back out if things went wrong, right? But the group of them storming into Junes like that just because of a rumor spreading around Inaba that had no real basis... it didn't make a lot of sense, did it? _Maybe I'm more mature than I thought,_ he thought with an inward chuckle. Because two years ago, there would have been absolutely nothing that could have stopped him.

Yosuke sighed through a mouthful of fried rice. "I guess the most we can do now is just pay attention. Now that we all know that it's a possibility..." he turned to look at Naoto, who nodded her agreement. A part of him wondered if she'd looked into it at all herself.

His attention turned to Jude, who flashed him a halfhearted smile. Jude knew, more than the rest of them, how much Yosuke was tamping down his instinct. After all, Jude was the one who heard about all of his wistful memories about fighting inside of the TV. Admittedly, even with such little information, this felt kind of like the beginning of something. The information seemed baseless at this point, but something in the pit of Yosuke's gut told him that this wasn't the last they'd hear about it.


	4. Teenagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jude and Yosuke find themselves connected to two connected teenagers.

**January 14th, 2015**

2:45 p.m.  
It had been almost two weeks since everyone left, but from time to time, Yosuke still found himself thinking about the Midnight Channel's return. It wasn't even confirmed yet, but just the idea that it was still an ever-present threat loomed and made him worry. There were still so many questions. Like, what did it mean that the people who claimed to see it said that it was blank? Did it mean that someone had been in there before, but now they weren't? They'd all known that the TV world was still there after they captured Souji, so was there actually a way to get rid of it, or would it just be there forever, as a way for some psychopath to hurt unsuspecting people? And the most prominent concern was, if this was actually true, that meant that someone out there—someone _else_ out there—had a persona. Didn't it? Or else they wouldn't be able to go into the TV and make the Midnight Channel appear again, right? Did that mean that Souji had been telling the truth, about things not ending with him?

The thought made Yosuke's skin crawl. Someone else was out there; someone who both knew about the existence of the Midnight Channel and what it did. _Maybe,_ Yosuke thought, catching himself creating theories without facts. _Maybe someone's out there. Find out if it's true before you dive into assumptions..._

Still, against his volition, he found his eyes wandering over to the electronics section. He was covering the toy section today, and it was just off to his right, in plain view. It would be easy. His lunch break was in half an hour, and _all_ he would need to do was pop in, look around, and then pop back out of the TV. But the next thought that crossed his mind was the way his friends would react. They'd be upset. If he went in by himself, without anyone to watch his back, he would more than likely never hear the end of it. Getting all of them together may have been tougher now that they all had their own lives, but that didn't mean that he couldn't take one person with him.

Yeah, at the very least, he shouldn't go in alone. As difficult as it was, he'd have to wait. He'd never been particularly patient, no, but they knew that the other side was dangerous.

The size and model of the TV in 'the spot' had changed over the years. It was larger and thinner than it had been a few years ago. He wondered to himself if it would take them to the same spot, or if changing the TV itself would change where they came out. Maybe it _was_ too dangerous to go by himself. But that didn't change the curiosity.

 _Gotta keep my mind occupied or it'll drive me nuts,_ he thought. It was a surprisingly slow day in the store today, so in order to keep himself occupied, he had to actively look for something to do. Maybe some of the shelves needed straightening. He was working the counter in the toy section today, so maybe he could just straighten up the shelves. They were in plain view of the counter, anyway.

No sooner had he started straightening the boxes, though, than he heard a whimpering sound coming from a few aisles away. It sounded like a young girl, and she was definitely crying now. Damn it.

Completely abandoning the shelf he'd been straightening, he followed the sound of the voice. Sure enough, two aisles down, a little blonde girl (she didn't even look old enough to be in high school yet) in a school uniform and pigtails stood in front of a row of unsightly purple and pink plush dolls—called _Teepo_ or something like that—crying.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, walking right up beside her and crouching down.

The girl looked up at him, bright green eyes glistening with tears. She shrunk back a little bit and didn't respond right away, instead, opting to look down and wipe some of the tears from her eyes. She turned her head to look at the dolls again, then looked back at Yosuke. "I, um..." Her voice was very quiet, very shy. "I was just looking at these dolls."

Yosuke nodded his head and smoothed over the front of his Junes apron. "They've been around for a long time, but I've never seen anyone buy one of them." As soon as he finished talking, her lower lip quivered like she was going to start crying again. Yeah, something had obviously happened. "Is something wrong?" He didn't want to push too much, but it looked like she was going to burst.

She moved to shake her head, but then frustration mounted and she nodded. "Why are they so expensive?" she shouted. "My allowance is only five hundred yen a week!" Her voice was still shaky, like she was just barely holding back another cascade of tears, but she looked Yosuke straight in the eye.

Honestly, that was a question that he didn't really think a girl this age needed to know the answer to quite yet, so instead he hummed thoughtfully and bit one side of his lip. "Do you want one?" he asked, rather than answering her question.

Obviously, the lack of an answer made her mad, but she nodded her head. "I had one." It was a simple sentence. "I had him since I was really little. He's really cute and he talks and everything." She looked down at the money in her hand. "But some people at school took him away." Her eyes turned to look back at Yosuke and she chewed her lip. "They threw it in the toilet and flushed it down."

With a frown, Yosuke took a look at the yen in her hand. She had five hundred, and the doll was nearly two-thousand. "You had it since you were really little, huh?" he asked.

She nodded. "I've got some pictures of me holding him when I was really, really little. He ripped a couple of times, but someone always sewed him back together for me." She huffed an irritated sigh. "And some stupid people said that I'm too old to have dolls, so they took him." She crumpled the money, as her tiny hands balled into fists at her sides.

Yosuke didn't allow himself to think about it for too much longer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking out a thousand yen bill, and another five hundred yen bill. "Here." He offered it out to her.

"Huh?" Her eyes were wide as she stared at his hand in front of him.

Shrugging, Yosuke smiled. "Who says you're too old for dolls, right? If you love it—love him—so much, then you should definitely have one. It might not be the same one you used to have, but go ahead." He gave her a gentle smile.

She looked at him, then down at his hand, and hesitantly, like something was going to snatch the money away, she reached forward and took it from his hand. "Are you sure?" she asked, blinking twice in amazement.

Yosuke smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "You know, you gotta know when to turn on the cute." Which was his way of saying that he was definitely sure. "Someone gives you fifteen hundred yen, you bat your eyelashes and thank them sweetly, and you can turn it into three thousand without even trying." Maybe he wasn't the best mentor for a kid, but his sympathy wouldn't let him ignore her.

The girl was quiet, and she stared at the money in her hand. It took her a few moments, but it appeared that she decided that it was okay. She turned to take the doll off the shelf and gave Yosuke a little smile. "Thank you." She looked at the doll and a big smile crossed her face.

Honestly, Yosuke still thought the doll was pretty creepy looking. Weird and squishy and its face looked like a bear or something. But if it made the little blonde girl happy? Well, he guessed there had to be something not-creepy about it. As she looked up at him with a big beaming smile on her face, Yosuke found himself responding in kind. There was something to that whole do-gooder vibe that Jude had going on. The rewarding feeling he felt when she turned the corner was pretty nice.

He beckoned her to the checkout counter. "Come on," he paused, realizing that she hadn't introduced herself.

"Elize."

He nodded. "I'm Yosuke," he introduced himself in return. "Come on, Elize. I'll ring you up at the toy counter, okay?" It was funny, because Yosuke wasn't usually the best with kids. He was no Jude Mathis, anyway. It was interesting to watch Jude interact with kids, because turned into nothing but an overgrown kid himself. He played their games and spoke their lingo like a professional when the time came. Yosuke always seemed to slip up and say the wrong thing. But he'd actually managed to do decently this time. Then again, he guessed it was kind of hard to be considered cruel when you randomly gave a stranger fifteen hundred yen.

Still... he definitely felt a sense of self-satisfaction.

*

3:12 p.m.  
For Jude's part, his thoughts about the Midnight Channel were diluted by the fact that he was always busy at work. Whenever he had a free moment, though, he'd find himself thinking about the rumors. On occasion, he'd listen around the hospital for any strange stories. The nurses gossiped like champions, after all. Outside of that, though, he and Rise had been talking about them via text, and apparently she'd been trying to do some sleuth work around town, but no one had any information worth noting. Most of it was just repeating the rumors; the stereotypical he-said-she-said that seemed to be packaged right in the shape of small towns like Inaba. For the time being, he guessed, they really _were_ stuck waiting for more information. If it ever came.

Honestly, Jude was so tired of working at the hospital. It had only been a year, and he felt burned out most nights. By the time he left to drive home, he felt completely exhausted, and sometimes it was a total miracle that he didn't drive off the road. It was why he hadn't decided on a college yet, after all. His father wanted him to pick a good medical school and just go, but Jude kept putting it off, finding different reasons not to. Anything but tell his father the real truth; he knew how well that would go. But the fact of the matter was that there were dozens of things that he'd rather do. At one point, he wanted to give it all up and do something creative. Maybe writing or art... but he didn't have the chops for it. There was a time when he even toyed with the idea of veterinary medicine instead of human medicine. He'd always loved animals, so to him it kind of felt like the best of both worlds; something he liked _and_ something he was good at. 

But before any different idea could form, his father always reminded him that the Mathis' were part of a medical tradition, and he'd be damned if his son was going to ruin that for him by following some crazy dreams. He knew, of course, that those particular motives had been the only reason his father had pulled so many strings to get him this nurse's assistant job. But sometimes Jude wished that he'd just listen. That something more than tradition mattered. That _he_ mattered. He knew, though, that it was unrealistic. His father was stuck in his ways, which was exactly why the list of things he didn't know about Jude was as long as the average dictionary.

Today was only two-thirds of the way through, and it had already been unbearably long. Uehura-san had been completely unbearable, with her laundry list of orders for Jude to take care of. She made no secret of the fact that she hated the nepotism that gave Jude his job, and even a year into working with him; a year into proving himself, she treated him like he was still learning the ropes. And yet, with all that, she still managed to find the time to flirt with him, no matter how many times he turned her down.

None of it did anything at all to help his exhaustion with working there. Some days, he just wanted to walk out. Some days, he really wished that he was _brave_ enough to just walk out. But he wouldn't. It just wasn't in his nature.

Today was one of the better days, at least partially. Uehura-san was busy, so for the most part, she left him to his work. She checked in, yes, but he didn't have to hear her flirting or needless comments about how unfair it was for him to be working here. Days like this made him think that it wasn't _actually_ so bad. That maybe he was just projecting his own feelings on a job that was actually best for him. He'd gone around, checking vitals for varying patients and taking down little bits of information for some of the check-ins, to make Uehura-san and the doctors' jobs easier, when he heard a small voice on the other side of a nearby door.

"Stupid bullies and their stupid... I can't believe they wouldn't let her come in here with me." The voice, a young boy's voice, echoed through the room and out into the hall with a deep sigh. "But at least she's at Junes now. If someone tries to pick on her there, they'll get caught."

The words made Jude pause more than the young-sounding voice. _Bullies, huh?_ That was a song and dance that Jude recognized all too well. He took the boy's chart off the wall and looked it over. Ken Amada. He was thirteen, and came in with bruises and a swollen wrist. If what he'd heard was right, he'd been bullied defending a girl. He breathed a sigh and flipped the page over. _A foster child,_ he thought as he read through the rest of the page. _He doesn't know his father and his mother died four years ago... poor kid._

Jude pushed the door open and looked in front of him at the young chestnut haired boy. "Hello," he greeted with a warm smile. "Ken, right?"

The boy nodded. "You look a little young to be a doctor." His voice, when he spoke, was far more mature than the thirteen years that his chart claimed him to be, but his stature completely discredited that.

Laughing, Jude nodded his head. "That's because I'm not," he mused with a little grin. "I'm the nurse's assistant. Just here to check your vital signs. Make sure you're human and all that." Maybe a slightly more casual outlook would make it easier for the boy.

The derisive snort that Ken responded with was very uncharacteristic of a boy his age. Or, maybe not. Young teenagers, at least most young teenagers, thought adults were jokes, right? Still, this derision didn't sound quite like that. It sounded more like adult skepticism. He supposed that sometimes children in orphanages needed to mature a little quicker than others, but it took him by surprise all the same.

After his business was done; checking the boy's pulse and breathing, and making sure that he wasn't too obviously hurt beyond the injured wrists and bruises, Jude took care to mark off the chart. But as he did... it couldn't hurt to talk to the boy, right? He'd definitely had a rough day. Sometimes a little friendly conversation could make lousy feelings not so lousy.

Before he could speak up, though, Ken took the reins. "So, does this hospital make a habit of hiring people just out of high school?" he asked.

The question took Jude off-guard, and he blinked as he looked up from the file in front of him. "I'm sorry?" His tone was very obvious in how stunned he was.

"I don't mean offense," Ken said, his voice once again sounding far more mature than the thirteen years his chart dictated. "I just recognize your name. Jude Mathis, right? You got into town just after I did, almost three years ago. And you graduated high school two years ago. Don't you have to go to some kind of special school to be a nurse's assistant?" 

Jude was still a little bit stunned, but he nodded his head. "In a lot of cases, that's true. But..." _But my dad insisted that I work in the hospital while I take a little time off before college, so he pulled strings and now I'm working here..._ he thought. The question was never easy to answer, no matter how many times he was asked. "I'm getting on the job training." He very carefully omitted the part about his parents and gave Ken a weak smile.

The look on Ken's face was suspicious, like he had a feeling that there was something that Jude was omitting, but he didn't say anything.

"So... it looks like you got into a fight." Jude was careful to broach the topic. Ken seemed very guarded, so it felt like it would be very difficult to get anything out of him. Honestly, Jude didn't know why he was pressing like this. He got the information the doctors and nurses would need. Maybe it was because he identified with being bullied. To wanting someone to relate to. If he could provide that to a kid like Ken, maybe he'd feel better about this job.

Ken didn't say anything, but he nodded. His face was a little bit worried, his posture was tense, and it looked like he thought Jude was going to yell at _him_.

He sat in the chair beside the bed, making himself smaller than Ken. Sometimes that helped kids feel more comfortable. "I'm going to be straight with you, because you seem like a pretty smart kid. I heard you before I came in here. You were protecting a girl from being picked on?" he asked.

After a few seconds, Ken looked from the floor to Jude. It wasn't ever really spoken, but it felt like Ken was glad that Jude had just come out and said it. "I didn't really protect her, though." He frowned. "I got there too late. The boys had already taken her doll and thrown it away." He looked disappointed, and sighed a little bit.

Jude frowned. Kids were just... cruel. It wasn't like Jude's own bullying, no, but it wasn't altogether too different. "I see," he muttered.

"She's my friend. We're in the same class together at school, and the boys thought she was too old to be playing with dolls." Ken surprised Jude by continuing to talk. Sometimes that was all it took, though. One question, to show that you actually cared what they were thinking. "What gives them the right to decide?" His voice was angry.

With a sigh, Jude shrugged. "I don't know." It was a simple statement, but it felt very weighty.

Ken shrugged, too. "She's at Junes now. I gave her the money I earned from my paper route to buy a new doll. One of those weird purple Teepo things that have been on sale for forever?" He laughed a little bit. "She wanted to come in here with me, but the lady at the front desk wouldn't let her, so..." He looked down at his wrist.

Right. Maybe he should stop being so social and focus on doing his job; get the kid the doctor. "Just sit tight, alright?" He smiled softly. "I'll go get the doctor, and try and make sure he doesn't take long." He turned toward the door. She'd gone to Junes, huh? Maybe Jude would ask Yosuke later, see if he remembered anything specific about a little girl buying a purple doll.

"Nurse Mathis!" Ken called after Jude.

Jude turned his head and looked at Ken. "Jude," he corrected. For one, he wasn't a nurse, and for two, he didn't really like being called 'Nurse Mathis.'

Ken nodded. "Jude-san," he was frowning a little bit less now. "Thanks for listening."

A smile tugged the corner of Jude's mouth as he nodded his response. Most days, he really hated this job. But every once in awhile, something like this would happen and he'd feel like maybe, just maybe, it wasn't so bad. _Still not the kind of thing I want to be doing forever, though,_ he thought as he walked down the hall to find a doctor for Ken.


	5. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a talk with an unexpected acquaintance, a familiar anxiety courses through Yosuke.

8:45 p.m.  
Yosuke loved it when Jude showed up at the end of his shift. Sometimes, he'd help him do some of the closing chores, and sometimes, if the chores were already done, they'd just sit together until his shift was over. Tonight, there had been a line of people almost to the door, though, so Jude had ended up waiting far longer than he'd probably planned to. Still, he didn't complain. Not even once. He just waited, and sometimes he even helped, in the sense that he got some of the more impatient customers to stay in a single file line and wait their turn. Honestly, Yosuke was beyond thankful. It had been quiet for most of the night, so he'd sent two of his employees home early, and minutes before closing, he'd gotten slammed with a completely unexpected crowd. A part of him wondered if there was some kind of event going on in town, but he hadn't really had the time to think, let alone ask himself questions like that now.

Fortunately, the crowd eventually cleared, and he was eventually able to leave. The night cleaning crew wouldn't be happy with the mess left behind, but it was one of his father's strict rules not to be there too far after closing. The regional manager was never happy if that happened.

Tonight, Jude seemed to have a lot on his mind. He had that thousand mile stare, like there were a million questions or stories right on the tip of his tongue and he was trying to fight the right place to start. Yosuke had seen that look no fewer than a hundred times over the past few years, and it was always accompanied by a heavy conversation. Not that he minded, honestly. He liked having conversations like that with Jude; Jude never made fun of his weird opinions and would even indulge them sometimes. 

As they walked across the parking lot to Jude's car, Yosuke was mesmerized by the sound of the snow crunching under their boots. Neither of them were really talking at the moment; Yosuke's mind was still reeling from the influx of customers at the end of the day. When he turned to look beside him, he noticed that Jude was walking with his hands in his pockets, his attention straight ahead as they walked. In fact, he was pretty sure that they'd passed Jude's car, since it was the only one in the front lot and it was about eight feet behind them. He took a hand from his own pocket and waved it in front of Jude's face.

"Jude! Earth to Jude!" he called, snapping his fingers and watching in amusement as Jude jumped, turning his head to look at Yosuke. But the stunned expression on his friend's face made the amusement fade quickly. "Raincloud?"

Jude pressed his lips together. Rather than answering the question about his personal raincloud, he shrugged and said, "want to take a walk?" with that faraway expression still on his face.

Generally, when they were in Inaba, 'want to take a walk' meant 'want to go sit in the hilltop gazebo at the flood plain,' but honestly, either way, Yosuke didn't mind. Jude definitely had a giant pile on his mind, and if Yosuke could help him lighten that load a little bit, well... he'd be more than happy to do it, honestly.

So, with a nod and a half-smile, Yosuke took the lead. "What are you thinking about, anyway?" he asked. "I've heard of a thousand mile stare, but you look like you can see clear to America with the way you're looking." He smiled, hoping beyond hope that he would be able to lighten the mood.

Jude smiled a little bit, nodding his head. "It was kind of one of those days," he mused with a little chuckle. "I had a patient this afternoon that made me think of the way I used to be before I met you guys." Sliding a hand through his hair, Jude shrugged.

Yosuke turned his head to look away. It still bothered him, how close he'd come to just being another disappointing almost-friend to Jude. And thinking about it now almost bothered him more than it had then. If he'd allowed himself to be taken over by instinct, he'd have ended up missing out on one of the best friendships he'd ever had. Biting his lip, he turned to look at Jude. "How so?" he asked.

Shrugging, Jude looked at the ground in front of them. "He was very grown up. He was thirteen, and he didn't act like a thirteen year old at all." Pausing, he shook his head and gave a weak half-smile. "He just looked really sad, and he was there because some bullies were picking on him. Well, picking on a girl he was defending, but... it's the same general idea." He chuckled awkwardly.

Having him talk about a teenager-encounter made Yosuke think about Elize, but he didn't say anything right away. It was Jude's turn to talk, for once. He'd get his turn. Jude always made sure Yosuke got his turn. "Felt like you were looking into a mirror to the past?" he asked. There was no offense intended, and he was sure that Jude knew that.

The way he nodded confirmed that. "Yeah. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the comparisons all day." He trailed off as they rounded the corner to the flood plain. "And then thinking about him made me think about how I wanted to be when I was that age. The stupid dreams I had and everything, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled awkwardly. "Can you believe I used to want to be a veterinarian?"

Honestly, the way Jude was looking at him was significant. Like _wanted_ wasn't so much the truth as _want_ would've been. Yosuke knew that he wasn't happy working at the hospital. He was working at his father's goals, more than he was his own goals. Jude hadn't ever said as much, but living with him had allowed Yosuke the chance to really get inside his head. He always looked tired when he came home, and the times that he truly looked happy was when thoughts of work were the farthest thing from his mind. Yosuke knew that Jude liked medicine. He liked helping people, and he really was good at it. With how much he loved animals, veterinary medicine seemed like a logical choice for him.

"I can believe that," Yosuke said honestly. "What's so weird about it?"

The way Jude went quiet suggested that he didn't know the answer. Yosuke found himself wondering exactly why he always bent himself to his father's whims. Yes, there was the fact that his father had gotten him the job at the hospital, but if it was a job he didn't want to begin with? Then again... Yosuke himself felt similarly most of the time when the thought of quitting Junes entered his mind. A sense of loyalty to his father—even though _his_ father was ten times better than Jude's father—wouldn't let him do it. It was a crappy position to be in.

Jude was thinking about what Yosuke had said. It was obvious by the look on his face, and the fact that he hadn't said a word since the question had escaped Yosuke's lips. As they sat at the bench beneath the gazebo, Yosuke smiled at the little as a light dusting of snow came down around them. It was definitely cold, but the snow was kind of relaxing right now. Or maybe it was the company. He looked to his left and watched as Jude sat down. Neither of them even really needed to say anything to be comfortable. Yosuke couldn't help but smile a little wider at that. Still, there was more that needed to be said right now. The question about Jude's dreams shouldn't have been left hanging like that.

But before he could open his mouth, though, Jude spoke up. "So, enough about me," he said, closing that conversation off, at least for now. "Was the whole day busy like that? I bet you're dead on your feet..." He chuckled softly.

As much as he wanted to backtrack and have Jude delve into his reasons for not wanting to follow his dreams, Yosuke knew when to let a topic drop. He shook his head no and laughed, too. "It wasn't that busy all day, no," he said. "It was kind of dead for most of the day. But I had a teenager-encounter, too." He shrugged his shoulders. "I worked the toy section for most of the afternoon, and there was this girl. She was probably about thirteen." The similarities in their stories made him think for a second.

"Looks like it was teenager day all around," Jude half-laughed.

Yosuke nodded his head. "The girl was so sad, though. Some boys took her doll because they said she was too old for it, and she wanted a new one, but she didn't have enough money. She was crying when I got to where she was standing." He paused and bit his lip. "I think you've been rubbing off on me, honestly." He looked at Jude with a little grin. "I gave her the money to buy another one." Despite the freezing cold, his cheeks were definitely heating up.

Jude smiled and nudged him with his shoulder. "I don't think it's me rubbing off on you, as much as it is you being a better person than you realize," he said seriously.

How was it that Jude always made him feel so good about himself? The littlest things, something as simple as giving a little girl fifteen hundred yen to buy a stupid doll, were good deeds in Jude's eyes. The smile on Jude's face when he looked at Yosuke was kind of heartwarming, to be honest. It was honest approval, and maybe a little bit of admiration... and all Yosuke felt in that moment was the desire to grab him and kiss him hard enough to take the breath right out of his lungs. _It would fit. Every other time we've kissed has been at the floodplain, right?_ he thought.

Before Yosuke could even move to make that thought—that _wish_ —a reality, a voice called to them from the bottom of the hill. "Is that you, Yosuke?" The voice was familiar; a voice he heard almost every day. The voice of someone who spent way too much time just hanging out at Junes, given his profession.

Yosuke turned and tilted his head at the dark silhouette making their way up the hill. The posture was familiar in a kind of unpleasant way—it reminded him of when he'd been thrown into the TV back in 2012—but the carrier of the voice eased his mind a little bit. "Adachi-san?" he called in response. "What are you doing here?" Well, okay, he did live in town. But being out so late... _not that Jude and I can really talk about that..._ he thought.

"Just walking around before I turn in for the night," Adachi said with a shrug and a little smile. "Hey, Jude." He waved.

Jude waved back at Adachi with a friendly smile. "Fancy meeting you here."

Without invitation, Adachi sat down beside Yosuke and made himself comfortable. "What about you guys?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be well on your way back to Okina? Junes is closed, right? And it's cold as the arctic out here." He made himself comfortable on the bench.

Honestly... ever since that one incident in 2012, every time he was in a close proximity to Adachi, he felt a familiar anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea where the feeling came from; it was baseless, considering as far as he was concerned, there was no possible way that Adachi could throw someone into the TV. Not to mention, it was all but proven that Souji had been the one to attack him. But it still didn't change the feeling. He felt his stomach twist a little, but he forced himself to keep his expression casual.

"We were just taking a little walk to blow off some steam. Long day for both of us, you know?" Jude spoke up, likely sensing Yosuke's discomfort and covering for him.

Humming thoughtfully, Adachi shrugged his shoulders. "To each their own, I guess." He gave a wry smirk in their direction. Then, without any sort of segue, he cleared his throat and said, "so... I visited Souji the other day." He was casually wiping his hands on his slacks, like he hadn't just dropped a conversational bomb. What was it with people and doing that to Yosuke?

Instead of skirting around the topic, Yosuke breathed a sigh. "And?" he asked. He didn't want to know, but at the same time, he really did. He felt a subtle movement on the opposite side of him. Jude had quietly moved just a little bit closer, supporting him without speaking.

Adachi shrugged his shoulders and folded his hands in his lap. "He asked about you," he said easily. "Wanted to know what you were up to. All of you guys, even you." His eyes went to Jude over Yosuke's shoulder. "Like I would know, right? All I ever really see is how you are at work. Honestly, the ones I see the most are Shirogane and Satonaka. But he asked about you more than anyone else."

Yosuke frowned. Was that true? His head turned and he stared down at the white sheet of snow on the ground in front of them. How was it that two years later, the whole situation with Souji still found ways to haunt him? A small part of him wanted to ask what Adachi was talking about; what Souji had asked. But the rest of him didn't want to know. He'd come so far; he'd recovered so much since then. What would be better, knowing or not knowing? His thoughts went to Jude and his gaze subconsciously followed. He was always so great about things like this. Even now, he was looking at Yosuke with concern filling his eyes. More than anyone else, Jude knew exactly how much thinking about Souji hurt Yosuke. He'd seen the most of it. _I can't let this push me further back... I can't..._ His eyes met with Jude's, and he silently pleaded for help. He needed to get out of here before Adachi finished, but he didn't know if he could bring himself to walk away.

"You know," Jude spoke up without hesitation, "we should probably be getting home. There's a TV show we don't want to miss coming on in a couple of hours and I still have to put dinner together." Jude was right about that. It was snowing tonight. Every night when it was even so much as dusting, they watched for the Midnight Channel. Nothing had happened so far, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't sooner or later.

Adachi tilted his head, but laughed a little bit. "Way to make the two of you sound like a married couple, Mathis," he half-joked. "But alright. I can take a hint." He stood up and looked at Yosuke. "You know..." he leaned in close, and Yosuke felt a very unpleasant and _very_ familiar feeling swelling in the pit of his stomach. "If I were you, I'd go and visit him. Might help you get some closure." He stayed close for a few more seconds... too long, really, and then said, "don't worry too much, Hanamura. It's not good for you."

Another pang of familiarity—a _strong_ one this time—coursed through his veins. _Don't worry, Hanamura..._ The tone wasn't robotic, but the whole situation felt just like... no. No, he needed to stop thinking about this. He could already feel his heart-rate increasing, his chest tightening, and he had to turn and look away before things got really bad. Jude seemed to sense it, because within seconds, he had his hand around Yosuke's wrist, pulling him away from Adachi and into a standing position.

"We really have to go," Jude said. "Come on, Yosuke. Let's get going."

Yosuke's heart was still pounding as they walked away, and when he turned to look, he saw Adachi still standing there, staring after them. Why was he staring like that? Was it possible that... was it _Adachi_ that put him into the TV back then? _No. No, there's no way, right?_ he thought. _Souji confessed. So, there's no way..._ he took a shuddering breath and turned to look at Jude. "Th-thanks..." he whispered shakily.

Jude waved the thanks off and shook his head no. "Don't worry about it. Are you okay?" he asked.

After a glance over his shoulder told him that Adachi was still staring after them, Yosuke shook his head no, then said, "I don't think so, no," with a halfhearted chuckle. "But I'll tell you later. When we get home. Okay?" When they weren't being watched. It would give him time to compose his thoughts. If that was actually possible, anyway.


	6. Recurrence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Midnight Channel returns, and Yosuke and Jude have a discussion. Kind of.

11:35 p.m.  
There wasn't a whole lot of speaking on the ride home. Every now and then, Jude would ask him if he was okay and he would answer, but beyond that... they were just quiet. He was sure that Jude was still thinking about what had happened. How could he not be? The discomfort that loomed over the area had been way too strong to ignore. Still, his patience was unrivaled, and he hadn't asked. Not in the car, not in the walk up the seven floors to their apartment... not even right away when they got inside. He just walked right to the kitchen to start preparing them a quick dinner.

He could smell the ramen cooking from the kitchen, but his mind was decidedly _not_ on dinner. Souji had asked about him. Souji had asked Adachi to talk to him. Maybe, anyway. And not only that, but the terrifyingly familiar feeling he felt when Adachi got into his personal space was still making him queasy. He sighed and shook his head to try and dispel the thought. The last time something had consumed him like this, he'd almost gone insane.

A piece of him wondered if he should call some of the others and talk to them, too, but it wouldn't be fair, would it? As far as he'd come to try and get past everything, everyone else had come farther. It wasn't like he didn't think they thought about things; he was sure they did. But they'd all grown so much more than he had. Chie was going to be a cop, Rise was comfortable with being a celebrity again, Naoto was embracing her femininity now... everyone was growing except him. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes hard. Everything was good. Everything was _normal_. And then the mention of Souji thinking about him from prison sent him into a spiral. The promise he'd made, that Yosuke would think about this for a long time to come... he'd been right. "God damn it..." he mumbled to himself as he removed his head from his hands and huffed a sigh.

At that moment, Jude showed up with a bowl of ramen in each hand, and placed them on the coffee table.

"I won't even bother to ask you if there's a raincloud," Jude said, his voice quiet but understanding, "and I won't ask you to talk either. But if you want to, you know you can talk to me."

The answer to that wasn't simple. He wanted to talk. He did. But how unfair was it to talk to Jude about this, after everything they'd gone through to get where they were? After everything Jude had put up with from him... it just seemed wrong to throw more on his shoulders. Especially when it had to do with the guy who had effectively kept them from being together. Still, the comforting warmth of Jude's gaze made it easy to ignore that guilt. He bit his lip.

Scratching a hand through his hair, Yosuke leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Do you remember back in 2012, when we were in Madomai and I got that really anxious feeling when Adachi was up in my space?" How did he expect Jude to remember that? It was very vague and had only been a brief conversation that the two of them had.

But in a surprising answer that probably shouldn't have surprised him at all, Jude nodded his head. "I remember." He turned his head. Thankfully, too, because Yosuke didn't know how he'd deal with being stared at for this whole conversation.

Yosuke chewed on his lip and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. It was... it was worse today. When he was in my space, he said almost the exact same thing that Souji—that whoever attacked me—said. It's like..." he paused, leaning forward and picking up his bowl of soup. It was hot, but it felt nice against his still-chilled fingers. "I know Souji admitted to it. To putting me in the TV. But..." How stupid did he feel right now?

Jude was stirring his own ramen a little. "You can't ignore the way you feel," he said calmly, before gathering some noodles and putting them in his mouth.

It was ironic, hearing that from him, since that was something they'd been doing when it came to each other for the past two-and-a-half years, but he nodded all the same. Now wasn't the time to think about _that_. "Yeah. With how strong it is when it happens, it's hard to ignore. I mean, hell. I almost had a panic attack back there." He took a bite of his own ramen.

Frowning, Jude sighed a little bit. "I know." He spun some of the noodles around his chopsticks, and gave a little sigh.

"You don't believe me..." Yosuke frowned.

Jude's head snapped back to look at Yosuke and he shook his head no. "I didn't say that at all!" he insisted. "I believe you. When something like that happens, when you feel that sense of familiarity so strongly... you can't ignore it and it makes you doubt what you think are facts." He paused, before saying, "and the fact of the matter is, there's no way we can _know_ what happened that day. Yeah, Souji admitted to doing it. But how do we know he's telling the truth? He could be covering for that accomplice. Maybe it's a half truth. Maybe it's a whole truth. We don't know..." He looked back down at his bowl and frowned.

And that was the worst part about life; all the unknowns. "I wish there was some way to know for sure," he muttered. He felt like this whole situation was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. "And because I can't... it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life, just like Souji said it would." He quickly slurped up a noodle, then swallowed and made a frustrated growling sound. "It's like... every time I think I'm escaping from it, something crops up and reminds me. Everyone else is moving on with their life, doing so well, and here I am stuck in the past, unable to deal with it." He snorted a bitter laugh and picked up another few noodles with his chopsticks. "It's like... am I going insane? Am I _already_ insane?" he asked, twisting the noodles around and slowly eating them.

But Jude shook his head no, his soup completely abandoned on the table as he turned to face Yosuke. "No, you're not insane. You're not even close to insane." After a couple seconds of silence, while Yosuke picked up another noodle, Jude kept talking. "Yosuke. Listen to me. The situation you were in was... it sucked. A lot. No one likes the idea of being betrayed by someone they trust, especially not someone they trust as much as you trusted Souji. But to have it waved in front of your face like that? It's bound to affect you." He took a deep breath. "You're not insane. You're just having a little bit of trouble moving on. I can't imagine how it must feel. But dealing the way you have? Coping as _well_ as you have? I admire that about you."

Yosuke was silent. Jude admired him. The very thing that had kept them apart, the thing that could very well _still_ be keeping them apart, and Jude admired him for it? It wasn't anything to _admire_! A fire of frustration burned in his gut, and he looked at Jude like he was insane. "You _admire_ me for it?" he asked, completely incredulously. "How can... how can you admire me for it?" Had he forgotten everything? Did he not feel the same way anymore? It would have probably been easy to ask. All he had to do was open his mouth and say it. But the worry about the answer overtook his curiosity. _Idiot._

Jude was looking down, thinking for a moment. His expression was focused, and Yosuke realized that he'd yelled. A torrent of guilt put out the fire of frustration almost immediately, and he pressed his lips together. God damn it.

But before he opened his mouth to apologize, Jude beat him to the punch. "I do," he said. "If it had happened to me? I'd have completely broken. I wouldn't be able to function." His voice was still quiet. "I'm not saying that it's an ideal situation for anyone involved." There was something significant about the way he was saying that, but Yosuke wouldn't let himself focus on that right now. "I'm just saying that you should give yourself some credit. You're functioning, and you've still managed to have good, strong friendships, and I think that's worth celebrating..." He picked his soup back up off the table and stirred it around. Yosuke imagined that it was soggy by now. His was getting there.

"I'm sorry," Yosuke mumbled, looking at Jude with concerned eyes. Jude hadn't earned that kind of anger and because of this stupid... _issue_... he'd exploded.

Shaking his head no, Jude gave him a weak smile. "Don't be. I'd rather have you yell like that than keep it all in and explode." He lifted a few noodles and held them below his mouth. "Just... just be sure you talk to me if you need to, okay? Any time. It doesn't matter when." Likely cutting himself off from saying anything else, he quickly put the noodles in his mouth and occupied himself with eating.

How did Jude always do that? How did he always manage to take Yosuke's worries and stresses and make them seem less pronounced? _Without him... I wouldn't be able to_ be _the person he finds so admirable_... he thought. That was it. Yosuke couldn't take it anymore. With all the lingering uncertainty about Souji and Adachi and everything else about his life, he needed certainty about _one_ thing. Maybe that certainty would make everything else a little bit easier to deal with. Just an answer. That was all he wanted. _Is that so unreasonable?_ he asked himself.

"Jude?" Yosuke asked, reaching out to set his food down on the table. He'd lost his appetite, anyway, and his stomach was way too knotted to even try to force himself to eat. And when Jude looked at him, the concern was all that much worse. "Do you... do you ever think of two years ago?"

The inquisitiveness in Jude's eyes was quickly followed up by an answer. Kind of. "The murders? I think we all-"

"No. That's... that's not what I mean." Yosuke tried to steady himself with a slow breath and met Jude's eyes. "I meant... you know... us. You and me. How we almost... you know...?" How was it that Jude made him sound so stupid when it came to this?

Jude's eyes widened, and he almost dropped the bowl from his hand. "Oh." Yosuke watched as he put the bowl on the table and focused his attention on the blank TV. "Do I think about... about us?" He swallowed nervously. He was quiet for what felt like forever, but he looked at Yosuke and nodded. "Yeah," he spoke, and his tone was very nervous. Gentle, but shaky and nervous. "I think about us a lot. Why, do you?"

Even though he should have seen that question coming, and part of him _had_ been expecting it, Yosuke was still taken off guard. But he managed to nod. "I think about us a lot, too." He blinked twice. What did he say now? He knew that Jude thought about what they had been... did he wonder what they could be now? "When you think about us... what do you-" He didn't get to finish his question.

In the silence of the room, the familiar staticky whirring sound came from the TV. Both of their heads spun in the direction of the set, and Yosuke stared in silence at the familiar yellow static on the screen. It was hazy, but unlike the reports Chie gave, there was definitely someone there. In fact... there were _two_ someones. A pair of small someones, standing side by side. Every now and again, though, the staticky, shadowy person on the right would stand in front of the one on the left, protectively, and the figure on the left would cower in fear.

"Two?" he heard Jude's voice from beside him. "There's two..."

Yosuke nodded his head. There were definitely two people there. "That's never happened before..." he thought aloud. His jaw was slack, his eyes were wide and his body was tense. Not only did this confirm what Chie said to be true... it confirmed what _Souji_ said, too. He was working with someone else.

The sound of colliding ring tones filled the room and Yosuke looked at Jude before reaching into his pocket and taking his phone out. Naoto. He should have expected it, sure, but he was still reeling too much from the whole situation. He hadn't even gotten the chance to process it, but that was okay. He flipped his phone open, and glanced at Jude before he said, "you saw it too?" to Naoto.

Jude was definitely talking to someone—he could vaguely hear Rise's voice from Jude's phone—and he wondered if everyone else was frantically trying to call each other, too. Naoto's voice came through the receiver clear as a bell, though, and jarred him from those thoughts. "There were two people," she said, in lieu of a confirmation to his question. She probably figured that he knew the answer.

"I noticed, too," Yosuke said. His phone beeped at him; someone else was trying to call him, too. "Chie was right, then?"

Naoto hummed thoughtfully and then was quiet for a few seconds. Another beep. "I'm more concerned with the implications about how this relates to what Souji said when we caught him, but yes, Chie was right." She huffed a sigh and then said, "we should wait to talk more about it until we're all together. I can be in Inaba tomorrow."

It wouldn't be as easy to work around everyone's schedules, but they would find a way. Even if Yosuke had to leave work early, they would find a way to make this work. Just like two years ago, they'd been wrong when they thought they had the answers, and there was no way that he was just going to let it rest. Not with how it had interfered so heavily with his life. "Call Kanji?" Yosuke told Naoto. "Jude is talking to Rise, and I'm sure Ted is there, too. I'll call Chie and Yukiko, and then I'll text you a time to meet up tomorrow. Same place, okay?" He hated to admit it, but _this_ part, he was oddly excited for.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Yosuke."

After a brief goodbye, Yosuke hung up the phone and had a similar, but slightly more animated, conversation with Chie (and Yukiko in the background). After they all agreed to meet up at Junes at four—Jude was going to leave work an hour early, and Yosuke was going to get one of the other managers to cover him after his second break—he turned to look at Jude.

Jude was looking at him expectantly. "Are you okay?" he asked. Their conversation from before the midnight channel came on was both forgotten and absolutely _not_ forgotten.

With a nod, Yosuke collected the pair of abandoned bowls and stood up. "Kind of. Yes and no. I mean..." he brought the bowls into the kitchen, and over his shoulder, he saw that Jude was walking into the kitchen behind him. "It definitely sucks to think that we might have been wrong, that Souji was both lying and telling the truth, but..." he trailed off.

It wasn't long before Jude picked up the trail he'd left. "But it brings a little bit of credence to your worry about Adachi-san, doesn't it?" he asked.

Yosuke hadn't thought of that. "Oh." He pressed his lips together as he poured the food into the garbage disposal, set the bowls down and then turned around. "I guess... I guess maybe... but..." But there were still too many questions.

Jude approached him, standing close-but-not-too-close, and giving him a comforting half-smile. "We'll figure it out as a group, okay, Yosuke? Not just us, but all of us. Don't try and shoulder it all yourself." He put a hand on Yosuke's arm and squeezed it gently.

The temptation was still in his mind. Jude was close enough to just... grab and pull forward right now. And right now he had half an answer. But instead, he bit his lip and said, "do you want to come into my room and watch a couple of movies?" They both had to be up early, and Yosuke would be lying if he said that there wasn't an underlying hope that maybe Jude would fall asleep in his room like he had the night Rise, Teddie and Naoto had stayed with them. That may have even been an unspoken undertone in the question.

If Jude knew that, though, he didn't indicate. He just smiled. "Sure. Dumminator 4: Evaluation Day. Last time, we watched one of my movies, so... we can watch one of yours this time." He paused, before adding, "just let me get changed into my pajamas first."

Jude _always_ fell asleep when they watched the Dumminator series. And he was changing into his pajamas, too. Was that his way of quietly agreeing to Yosuke's unasked question? _How could he? I didn't ask it..._ he thought. But rather than saying anything, he smiled and followed Jude's lead as he walked down the hall.


	7. Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is back to the hurry up and wait game.

**January 15th, 2015**

"I just wish the picture wasn't always so blurry before they got put in," Chie said in frustration. "If we could figure out who they were going to get before they got them, we'd be able to stop it."

Rise shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah. It's annoying. That's another one of the things I don't get about the whole situation, honestly. Why is it able to show people before they get thrown in, you know? Like, is there some puppet-master behind the scenes, reading our minds and pulling the strings?" Her voice was very obviously frustrated.

Yosuke knew that he had the key to that. At least... maybe he did. His memory about Adachi could be both a maker or a breaker for them. What if he was wrong? What if he gave them Adachi's name and they followed the lead and it ended them up in trouble? Adachi was a cop, after all. If they questioned him, and they were wrong... Well, they could end up in trouble for interfering with a criminal investigation, right? It would affect Naoto more than the others; she could very easily lose her license or whatever disciplinary action people took for detectives. Was it right for him to speak up about something like this when it was just a stupid gut feeling? His eyes went to Jude; half of him wished that Jude was the type of person to just... reveal something like this for him. Maybe it would be easier if the words were yanked out from under him like a rug. He wouldn't be able to over-think it that way; wouldn't be able to talk himself out of sharing.

Naoto's voice cut through his thought process, though. "Right, Yosuke?" she asked.

Well that was great. He'd been so spaced out that he hadn't even noticed a question. He chewed his lip and looked at Naoto guiltily. "Sorry, I was... I was half-here," he chuckled a little bit.

Yeah, and now Naoto was completely suspicious. Even better. "I was just saying that the people in the TV were small, even by the standard of what we've seen on the Midnight Channel so far. And that it's strange that none of the people in the past few broadcasts have appeared on TV beforehand at all," she mused.

Chie nodded her agreement. "Yeah, even dating back to when Yosuke and Jude were on there. They didn't appear on TV, but suddenly they were on the Midnight Channel. It totally changes the theories we had about the killer—killers—whatever... doesn't it?" She pushed some hair from her face and sighed.

Yosuke scratched a hand through his hair again, and turned to look away from Naoto's suspicious gaze. Did he really just want to blurt out Adachi's name like that? It still didn't make a ton of sense. He turned to look at Jude, whose face was trying to support without being too obvious. The same way he always did. It should have made it easier, but really, Yosuke was worried about looking crazy again, like he had two years ago.

"Hey," Kanji called out. "You two look like you got some deep, dark secret or something."

Jude jumped to attention and looked at Kanji with a shrug. "I wouldn't say it was a deep, dark secret," he said, chewing on his lip. "But..." Yosuke could feel Jude's eyes on him from where he looked at Kanji.

Alright, alright. He couldn't let Jude take the heat for something that wasn't his fault. He breathed a sigh and shrugged a shoulder. "It's not concrete or anything, but I have this..." He paused. How did he even explain this? Breathing deeply and filling up his lungs, he let it out and smoothed a hand through his hair. "Last night, Jude and I were sitting at the flood plain and Adachi showed up." He dashed his tongue out to wet his lips and chewed idly on his index fingernail. Yeah, he was at a loss.

Thankfully, Jude seemed to pick up on it and spoke for him. "Do you guys remember back in 2012, in the alley in Madomai? How Adachi got in Yosuke's face when he was leaving?" It was good, Jude knowing what was going on. And the fact that he was willing to say it was also good. Yosuke didn't know if he could do it without support. He still felt insane for thinking it.

Everyone nodded, but Rise was the one to speak up. "I remember that. Yosuke looked really stressed out." She chewed on her lip.

Naoto nodded. "I think I wanted to ask about it, but my mind was so preoccupied with going to get Souji-san that it fell to the wayside. I apologize," she offered seriously, with her eyes cast on the table, then turned to look at Yosuke. "Is it... is it relevant?" She wasn't doubting. Yosuke could tell. Just curious.

With a deep breath again, Yosuke nodded his head. "It was weird, having him up in my face like that. Kind of familiar, like a feeling of deja vu," he said, remembering what Jude had said about Souji being in his space. He looked at Jude for support, and Jude nodded his head, quietly sliding a little bit closer. He was sure the others noticed, but he really didn't care at this point. It wasn't like they didn't know about the dance he and Jude were doing, right? "And the only thing I could remember that it felt like was... was when I got put into the TV." Everyone was going to think he was crazy.

He felt Jude's hand on his where they were hidden under the table, and he chewed on his lip and laced their fingers together. Comfort. Relaxation. At least Jude wouldn't think he was crazy.

"You're kidding..." Chie said. Even though she didn't sound incredulous, Yosuke couldn't help but feel like she was, and he shrugged a shoulder in response. "But can Adachi even..."

Jude stopped her, holding up an index finger and shaking his head no. "That's not all, either." He squeezed Yosuke's hand supportively under the table, encouraging him, maybe.

Yosuke nodded his head. "Yeah. It's not all. Um..." He paused and wet his lips. "It happened again the other day, but it was worse. He came up to Jude and me when we were sitting at the Samegawa, like I said. And he sat next to me and it was like... that same really weird feeling came from him. And when he was about to leave, he leaned right up to me and said 'don't worry' almost exactly like the guy who attacked me." He paused, before saying, "I know it sounds crazy, but-"

Shaking her head, Naoto shrugged. "It doesn't sound crazy, no. But at the same time-" 

Yosuke cut her off. She didn't need to finish. "But at the same time, Souji confessed, and as far as we know, Adachi doesn't even know the TV world exists. I know. It's driving me nuts, because I know, logically, that there's no way for it to be him. It just..." He shook his head in frustration and breathed a sigh. "I'm just saying, it's something that I've felt."

Naoto nodded her understanding. "I know, and I wasn't going to tell you that you were crazy. The only answer we have is looking for someone we don't suspect, because the only other option is that it's one of us." Eyes widened around the table, but they just as quickly returned to normal. As much as Souji's words still ate at them, they had to believe that they could trust each other. If they couldn't, then, well... who _could_ they trust? "But we all know that we don't need to worry about that."

Jude nodded his agreement. "The minute we stop believing in each other is the minute we're really in trouble." He gave a sincere smile.

Everyone mirrored his smile, but seconds later, Yosuke knew that he needed to bring the mood back down again, because there was still an important matter at hand. "But that means that there _is_ someone else out there who does have the power. Someone we don't know about." Which meant that it was distinctly possible... maybe he was right. _Except Souji confessed, didn't he? So..._

Chie frowned and nodded her head. "Yeah. With this new case cropping up, that's definitely right." That familiar angry growl crossed Chie's face. "And if it _was_ him that put Yosuke into the TV? If he's the one Souji has been covering for? Well... he's definitely got some answers to give. Especially to us, and to Dojima-san." When she spoke, Yosuke could practically hear the unspoken promise to keep an eye on him.

After a few seconds of quiet, Yukiko spoke up. "Yosuke-kun, please don't think any of us disbelieve you," she said honestly. "It's just that... Adachi-san is a cop. We can't just accuse him on a hunch, right?" She looked between Chie and Naoto.

With a nod, Naoto pushed some hair behind her ear. "Precisely. Especially considering no one else in town really knows what we know." She gave him a secure smile, like she believed him, too; and now he was wondering why he'd been so anxious to tell them about this. He never should've been anxious about anything like this when they were involved. It was both comforting and not at the same time. "But if it was him? If he's Souji's accomplice, or the other way around... however it works? We'll figure it out. Right, Yosuke?" She smiled at him from across the table.

From the other side of him, he felt Rise squeezing his shoulder supportively, and Jude squeezed his hand under the table, too. He felt a little bit better, sure, but knowing that the familiar feeling existed and having to be the only one dealing with it? Well... who'd expect something like that to be easy? Still, at least everyone knew now. The whole 'hiding things so that he didn't seem like a crazy person' thing wasn't really worth it, was it? 

And even if he was comforted, that didn't change how much it sucked to know that people were going to end up in the TV and there was nothing they could do. "So... there's nothing we can do now, is there?" It was an unfortunate fact, but it was something that they needed to bring up. "We're back to the same old hurry up and wait game. Watch TV tonight, figure out who it is, and do the legwork tomorrow?" It brought him back to Chie's wish, to be able to tell who was in there beforehand.

Kanji made a frustrated noise. "Back to the same ol' 'hope we can save 'em in time' game. Makes me wanna follow Yosuke-senpai's Adachi theory and stake the guy out."

The whole table went quiet at that. It was Chie who finally broke the silence. "And it's weird. The rumors I heard said that there wasn't ever anyone on there... but there were two people." She looked more than a little bit confused. "Two little people, like we were saying before. Even smaller than Jude."

Everyone's eyes went to Jude. It was true, they _had_ looked smaller than Jude when he'd appeared. He was shorter than even some of the girls in the group. He stood about eight inches shorter than Kanji, and even an inch or two shorter than Chie and Yukiko. To be smaller than him... "Do you think they're kids? They were bigger than Nanako-chan looked when she was on there," Yosuke pointed out. "So, maybe not kids that young." At least that was a comfort. Not a big one, though, because the fact still remained that they were small.

"That's unsettling," Jude said with a frown. "So this new person isn't above going after children."

Yukiko frowned. "Like Namatame." She didn't say anything else, but if Yosuke had to wager a guess, he'd say that her mind was on Nanako-chan.

The Dojima family was finally coming back to itself after losing Souji like they had. _If this whole thing comes to light... if we're right about the new killer, and if it's Adachi-san..._ Yosuke didn't want to know what it would do to them, honestly. It would hurt, that was for sure. But they were so close to Adachi-san... if he was taking children... _If it even_ is _him, Yosuke,_ he reprimanded himself. "Do you think we should go talk to Dojima-san? If anyone is liable to listen to us, any cop, I mean... it would be him."

Chie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He's been really busy with the petty theft cases in Inaba. We really don't want to put more on his plate when we're not sure." She looked a little disappointed, and Yosuke could imagine that she'd wanted to talk to Dojima-san about this.

At the mention of the petty theft cases, both Kanji and Naoto both looked in opposite directions. They were hiding something, and everyone's expressions said that they were catching on, but they had learned better than to ask. Kanji would just get defensive and insist that nothing was going on, and Naoto would insist that it had something to do with a case. Still, that didn't change the curiosity.

With a shrug, Teddie gave an uncharacteristically sad sigh. "Well, maybe when we figure things out. I miss Nana-chan's smiling face." After all, with Souji gone, Teddie and Rise were the ones out of the group who were closest to Nanako.

"We need to get our minds off of this. There's nothing we can do right now, and the longer we sit here thinking about it, the more depressed we'll get," Rise said seriously. "We should go and do something fun."

There was a little bit of guilt at the thought of picking up and doing something fun while things were still so tense in Inaba, but Rise was definitely right. They'd earned a little bit of fun; all of them had taken the rest of the day off to meet up here, after all. "Something fun, huh?" he asked. Coming up with fun ideas had always been Yosuke's forte back in high school. And it seemed like that hadn't changed. Within a second, the idea dawned on him and he beamed with excitement. "Ice skating! There's that rink that opened up last year about a mile outside of town. It's small and we'd probably have the whole place totally to ourselves. Especially since it's a school and work day." The whole group of them seemed to agree, judging by the eager and affirmative responses around the table. It had the potential to be fun and amusing.

Especially when Jude spoke up. "I, um... I don't know how to skate." He slid his opposite hand through his hair and scratched at his neck.

It only occurred to him right then that the two of them had been holding hands under the table this whole time. He chuckled and shrugged. "I'll teach you. It'll be fun."

With an eager noise, Teddie agreed. "I don't know how either, so if fall on your butt, at least you won't be alone!" he said. "Ice skating, ice skating!" He was chanting, pumping his fists and looking at Jude like the whole answer hinged on him. In a way, it did.

Laughing shyly, Jude bit his lip and nodded. "Alright, alright. How can I say no to a pitch like that?" he asked with a shrug.

"If you don't know how to skate, I bet you don't even have skates, right? We should go and buy some!" Rise told Jude, standing up and walking up behind him, tugging on his shoulder. It was almost like there was a moment of realization when she looked down at him from above. She looked at the space between Jude and Yosuke—at their entwined hands—and smiled with her whole face.

Kanji had an eyebrow arched. "What's with the face, Rise?" he asked. "That smile's kinda creepy. Like... what's that phrase? The cat that something-something..." He looked to Naoto.

"The cat that swallowed the canary," Naoto picked up on it and looked at Rise.

Rise let out a little giggle, and Jude and Yosuke instantly slid their hands apart. Not that they were ashamed... at least in Yosuke's case. He just didn't want something like that to be the center of attention in the group. Seeming to catch on, Rise shrugged. "Oh nothing!" She winked at Jude, then smirked at Yosuke.

Everyone was staring at Jude and Yosuke expectantly, and Jude cleared his throat and stood up. "Let's, um... let's just go buy some ice skates, okay?" Yosuke could definitely see the red in Jude's face, and he could definitely _feel_ the red in his own.

They were never going to hear the end of this, were they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering eventually explaining things about Naoto's case and Kanji's suspicious behavior in a one-shot side-fic sometime down the road, if there's enough interest!
> 
> Also, of note, I went back and changed a couple of things in Corrupts Absolutely that were nagging at me. A reader named Varupikusu mentioned that Jude, in relation to his elemental specialty in Tales of Xillia, should have a wind-based persona, and I realized that she was probably right. So, I went back and changed his persona to [Kushinada](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GS-CKtR85mPMq4HPn_A9XTe7sLHA2wSDMpE4-5iZlak/edit?usp=sharing), and changed all the pertinent mentions of his dungeon, his shadow and his persona to match. I don't think I missed any, but if I did, please don't hesitate to let me know. Here's an [image](http://nakashimamayu.deviantart.com/art/Idea-Jude-s-Persona-1-484281217?q=gallery%3ANakashimaMayu&qo=0) of Jude's Kushinada, as drawn by Varupikusu, as well.


	8. Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skating adventure is fun in more ways than Yosuke expected, and the Midnight Channel broadcasts.

6:34 pm  
The snow was coming down kind of heavily now, and most everyone had left the skating rink to go home. Teddie and Rise were the first to leave, followed by Chie and Yukiko... and Kanji and Naoto were packing up to leave now, after their 'see you tomorrows.' That left he and Jude alone. Which was... well, it was fine with Yosuke. Jude hadn't made too much progress learning to skate, but honestly it was mainly because they'd all been too entranced watching Teddie, who had taken to skating like he'd been a figure skater in a past life, or something. Yosuke found himself wondering if a part of Teddie's unknown past and abilities. It was an interesting thought, anyway, right?

"I don't think I'm ever going to get this," Jude said with a little laugh, his legs wobbly as he tried to push forward on the skates.

He started to slip, and Yosuke reached his hands out, taking both of Jude's in his with a gentle chuckle. "Wow, we've finally found something the great Jude Mathis isn't good at," he teased with a good-natured smile, helping Jude stand up straight again.

Jude pushed down on Yosuke's hands to help him stand straight and almost knocked the two of them down in the process. "Sorry!" Yosuke's hands weren't enough to keep him on his feet, and down he went, landing on his backside on the ice. He hissed in pain. "Ugh," he made a face. "I swear, I'm so bad at everything athletic!" He moved, trying to stand up on his hockey skates.

Yosuke chuckled again, reaching down to help him up. Maybe starting him with hockey skates hadn't been such a good idea. "I don't know, you're pretty athletic when it comes to your martial arts. You move like a freaking gymnast when you're fighting. Chie told me that you guys spar all the time. Takes someone special to keep up with her." He helped Jude to his feet again, keeping their hands tightly entwined as he skated backward.

When they started moving, Jude's eyes widened, a little panic on his face as he watched the ice beneath their feet. "What are—what are you doing?" he asked, blinking twice and looking up at Yosuke.

But Yosuke just laughed. "Trust me, okay? You know I'd never let you get hurt, right?" His mouth quirked into a smirk, and he silently encouraged Jude.

Jude nodded. "I know." His voice was sincere, and his smile was one of those sweet, kind Jude smiles that Yosuke had grown to love over time. "That doesn't change that I'm not a fan of gliding around on blades that don't look like they have any purpose supporting a person's weight, though. Just... just don't let go, please." He looked up and met Yosuke's eyes.

"At least there's no one here to catch us this time," Yosuke said with a little smirk, tightening his the lacing of his fingers between Jude's and slowly turning. "It's a miracle we got Rise to drop it."

Rise had needed no fewer than six times confirmation that no, she hadn't missed any details and no, the two of them hadn't hooked up behind everyone's backs... and Yosuke was pretty sure that she still wasn't satisfied. Sometimes, he wished that she wasn't so acutely aware of everything that went on around her. That somehow, she'd managed to _miss_ the will-they-won't-they dance that he and Jude had been trapped in for so long. But then again, he was pretty sure that everyone in the group at least had some sort of inkling that there was something going on between them. Still, everyone probably thought that there was more than there actually was.

Jude laughed and held his index finger up for Yosuke to stop. "You think she's dropped it?" he asked, reaching down to his pocket when they stopped moving. He was still shaky on his feet, but he stayed standing. "Look at this." He held the phone out for Yosuke to read, and gave a halfhearted laugh.

**Rise Kujikawa**  
_> juuuude i know u and yosuke r hiding something from me! :o_  
_> u know ill figure it out sooner or later, so u should totes just saaaaay so!  
_ _> u 2 were totes holding hands under the table at junes!_

**Jude Mathis**  
_> rise, i swear. i was comforting him. trying to make it easier for him to tell you guys about adachi-san.  
_ _> it was nothing more than that. you think i'd be able to hide something like that?_

**Rise Kujikawa**  
_> no, which is why u should just tell me the truth! ur bad at lying and i'll figure it out anyways!!!  
_ _> come onnnn jude! u know u can trust me!!!!_

**Jude Mathis**  
_> it's still the same as ever, rise. we're just friends.  
_ _> you know i would tell you if things changed._

Before Yosuke could tear his eyes away, two new messages appeared in the conversation. He could have looked away, maybe, but it wasn't like he'd done anything bad. He was already looking, right? And Jude had shown him the conversation... so it was okay. _Isn't it?_ He couldn't talk himself into looking away, anyway.

**Rise Kujikawa**  
_> u better. i know u 2 r made for each other.  
_ _> whats it gonna hurt to talk to him, jude? just try it!_

_What's it gonna hurt to talk to him?_ The words rang in Yosuke's head and made him blink up at Jude. Words that could apply to more than just Jude. They'd tried talking a few times now, but every time the topic came up, it dismissed just as quickly. "Made for each other, huh?" he asked Jude, with a little glance back down at the phone. "Is that just Rise's opinion or..."

For a second, Jude looked perplexed. His eyes went down to the phone and then widened. "Wh-what...? Oh god, Rise... really?" His face was bright red as he dimmed the screen and then stuffed his phone into his pocket. That might not have been the best move, though, because with the force of the movement, Jude slipped on his skates and fallen to the ice again. When he landed, he released the air in his lungs in a quick huff and then groaned from his stomach.

Yosuke didn't laugh this time as he reached his hands down to help Jude get up from the ice. Jude probably didn't need to hear the laughter, especially after inadvertently starting the conversation they'd been tip-toeing around for more than two years now. He was definitely taken off guard, definitely embarrassed. And it was definitely adorable, Yosuke mused to himself as he pulled Jude up to his feet. "Are you alright? You hit the ground kind of hard that time," he said with a half-laugh. Jude's shaggy, dark hair was in his eyes and his cheeks were bright red... and yeah, Yosuke couldn't help but think that he looked amazing that way. Shy and sweet suited him well.

Jude nodded. "I'm okay. Um..." he bit his lip and peered up at Yosuke with a shy expression.

"So... was it just Rise's opinion?" Maybe it wasn't fair of Yosuke to force Jude to speak up first. But his curiosity was piqued. If it was just Rise's opinion, Yosuke wasn't sure what would happen, but if it wasn't? Well... he had an idea.

After a couple seconds of simply standing there with a strawberry red tinge covering his cheeks, Jude chewed on his lip and then shrugged. "I wouldn't say I think we were made for each other, no. But that doesn't mean that I don't think... that I don't think we'd be good together." He peered up at Yosuke from underneath a curtain of dark hair and gave a shy smile. "I always kind of thought that, though."

It seemed like forever since they'd talked like this. They came close to it the other night, sure, but the Midnight Channel came on... and even before that, Yosuke almost spilled the beans before Rise and Teddie got to the apartment. It was always something, whether that something was in Yosuke's head or something that came out of the woodwork and distracted them. Now, it finally seemed like they'd get the chance. Yosuke opened his mouth to respond, to tell Jude that he felt the same way... that _he'd_ always felt like they'd be good together, too. "You know, I-" Before he could finish, though, a tiny voice from across the rink caught his attention.

"Yosuke-san?" The voice was small, feminine, and familiar. Yosuke cursed inwardly and turned his head toward the voice.

There stood Elize, with the purple eyesore of a doll clutched in one arm, smiling excitedly at Yosuke and Jude and waving her other arm. There was a boy behind her, with his wrist in a brace. His attention perked when he caught sight of Jude. With a sigh of resignation, Yosuke realized that they couldn't ignore the kids. Seems like they'd been ignored a lot in their lives already. "Rain check..." he said regretfully, giving Jude a sad smile and turning around. It figured. Just when he thought they had a chance to talk. "Grab my shoulders. I'll get us back to the bench..."

Jude looked regretful, too, but he did as Yosuke said. Yosuke felt the touch of Jude's hands on his shoulders, gentle through his winter coat and squeezing maybe a little more tenderly than just a friend would—a thought that made him smile—and he made good on his promise to get them back to the snow on the side of the outdoor rink safely. As soon as they got to the bench, Elize bounded over, pulling the boy behind her as she stopped in front of Yosuke. She waved eagerly and sat down on the other side of the bench when Yosuke and Jude sat to take their skates off.

"Hey, Elize-chan," Yosuke said with a smile.

Jude spoke up from beside him. "Ken-kun?" His voice was surprised, and Yosuke tilted his head in intrigue as he looked at the boy. "Oh. Yosuke, this is the boy that I mentioned yesterday. Ken. I met him at the hospital." He smiled at Ken.

Yosuke laughed a little. "And this is the girl that I mentioned yesterday. The one from Junes. Elize-chan, meet Jude, my best friend." He noticed Jude's smile soften a little bit at those words. "Jude, this is my friend Elize." In contrast to the softer smile on Jude's face, he noticed the brightening expression on Elize's. He turned to look at Ken. "Nice to meet you, Ken. I'm Yosuke Hanamura."

Ken nodded. "The Junes guy's son. Thanks for helping Elize the other day." His smile was genuine, but his voice was far more mature than any young teenager _Yosuke_ had ever met. Except maybe the way Naoto's had been back when she was younger. It was easy to forget sometimes, that she'd only been fourteen when they'd met. 

Smiling back, Yosuke waved the gratitude off. "Don't mention it. From the sounds of it, you both had a rough day, right?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jude's voice came from the other side of Yosuke, looking at the kids with a warm expression on his face. Yosuke liked seeing him interact with kids, or animals... the kindness that was always on his face was twice as strong.

Elize shrugged her shoulders and smiled wide. "We wanted to come ice skate. We found a couple pairs of ice skates in our attic that fit us, and Ken knows how to skate, so he promised he'd teach me." She looked out at the ice, and blinked a couple of times. "I didn't think it would be so empty here. But I guess it is a little late. And people are usually scared to come outside in the snow." She was a far cry from the shy girl he'd met at Junes, and it was a little surprising. Maybe, he figured, Ken brought a little bit of confidence out of her.

Jude nodded his understanding. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a lot better luck than me," he half-laughed. "I spent more time on my butt than on my skates out there."

"Elize is naturally graceful," Ken said with a smirk on his face, after Elize let out a little giggle. "She'll probably be like a pro figure skater before the day is out." He turned his attention to Elize, who was blushing and looking at the floor.

She gently shoved Ken in the shoulder. "Stoppit," she made a face. "Are you guys staying?" She turned hopeful eyes back to look at Yosuke.

Turning his attention to Jude, Yosuke shrugged his shoulders. As much as he wanted to go home and continue their conversation, the hopeful look on Elize's face was hard to ignore. She looked like she really wanted them to stay, and when he looked at Ken, he saw a slight bit of hope and eagerness on his face, too. Jude nodded his head and smiled, and Yosuke turned back to the kids with a shrug and a smirk. "Jude could probably stand to make a little more progress with his skating lesson," he teased, which earned him a look from Jude. "What'd I say?" He turned back to look at Jude and winked.

*

11:50  
Sometimes, the way kids saw the world was nice. The whole time they were their, neither Ken or Elize said anything about the way Yosuke used his hands as opposed to his arms to hold Jude up on his skates. Ken had been right, though. Elize took to skating like a natural, and by the time the two of them left, she was already speeding across the ice like a professional. She even figured out how to stop and turn on her own, without Ken's help. The two of them ended up speeding circles around Yosuke while he was teaching Jude, and Yosuke had to admit... it was tempting to just drop Jude's hands and join them. But he wouldn't do that to Jude.

In the time they spent with the kids, they learned quite a bit about them. They had lived in the same foster home for a couple of years now, and being the same age, they were even in the same grade, the same _class_ , at Inaba Middle School. Yosuke got the hint that there was trouble with their foster parents; they never said as much, but they went quiet when Jude asked about them. A tiny bit of protective instinct flared up in Yosuke at that—and he saw a similar one on Jude's face—but they managed to tamp it down well enough. They were good kids. Nice kids. And even despite that, they seemed so lonely. Yosuke remembered the mention of bullies, and it made him angry. Still, the negative feelings didn't last long with the four of them together, and honestly, Yosuke could barely remember a time when he'd had quite so much fun.

Amusingly enough, they ended up staying at the rink until it was completely dark outside. Though they were hesitant to let the two kids walk home by themselves, Ken insisted that he would protect Elize. That they'd be fine getting home. _We walk around like this all the time, Yosuke-san, it's okay,_ he'd reassured. Yosuke had seen the desire to insist on Jude's face, but they both tamped down that instinct and went their separate ways.

When they got back to the apartment, it was about ten at night. The drive home had been kind of slow, because of the snowy and slushy roads, but they were home now, and sitting on the couch with their third mug of hot chocolate each. "I can't believe we stayed out there so late," Jude laughed a little bit, before taking a sip of his drink. "I think I'm still trying to get rid of the goosebumps." He raised the remote to turn the TV off.

That was right. It was almost time.

Yosuke nodded his head, turning his attention toward Jude. That rain check would probably have to wait a little bit longer, wouldn't it? Even if he brought it up now, they'd be in the middle of the conversation when the Midnight Channel came on. "I like those two," he mused, setting his mug on the coffee table. "How weird is it, though, that we befriended friends and didn't even realize it?"

Jude nodded eagerly and shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know how I didn't figure it out before! Ken-kun mentioned that there was a friend that he was protecting from some bullies who threw her doll away, and when you mentioned Elize yesterday, I should've put two and two together. But still, it's really funny." He turned his eyes to the television.

Subconsciously, Yosuke's gaze followed. He wasn't sure what Jude was looking at, but Yosuke found himself looking at their reflection. Jude was close. A little closer than he sat normally. Maybe it was because of the conversation they (almost) had today, and if that was the case, Yosuke was grateful. He watched Jude's reflection in the television as Jude turned his head to look at the clock. "It's almost time..." he said softly.

Taking the chance in the silence filling the room, Yosuke reached a hand down to grab hold of Jude's. He slid their fingers together and then turned his head to look at Jude. "It's comforting," he said quietly. Baby steps. If they kept moving like this, someday, he'd have to confess his feelings, right?

Jude nodded his agreement. "It is," he said, as he entwined their fingers again.

Yosuke was about to move his body closer, too, when the static whir of the Midnight Channel filled the room. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles while the picture faded in, but as soon as it cleared up... his heart sank. The two figures were some of the last people he expected to see.

"Ken-kun? Elize-chan?" Jude's stunned voice cut through the silence.

The shadow-pair were scrubbing at the floor of a cobweb ridden room, seemingly not even noticing the camera at first. Ken's shadow turned to look, then tapped Elize's shadow's shoulder and pointed at the screen. "Elly! Elly, we're on! Sing that Hard Knock life, song! Maybe someone'll pay attention to us then!"

Elize's shadow turned and looked toward the screen with wide yellow eyes and an evil smile. "Right! Come on, Teepo! Sing with me!" She picked the doll up off the floor and started singing to the camera.

As the voices filled the room, Yosuke felt a sense of guilt and dread completely engulfing him.


	9. Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team rescues Ken and Elize, and Yosuke comes to an important realization.

**January 16th, 2015**

There was guilt, and then there was the realization that by letting a pair of teenagers walk home by themselves, he'd both doomed them to end up inside the TV world and missed his chance to catch Adac—catch the _killer_ —in the act, at the same time. Yosuke and Jude both ended up sleeping in Jude's room after the broadcast. Or, more accurately, _trying_ to sleep. It was about one in the morning wihen Yosuke finally felt himself nodding off, and as far as he noticed, Jude only nodded off an hour or two before that. It had been easier for Yosuke than it had for Jude to get the day off work. All he needed to do was tell his father that he needed a day or two worth of personal time, but Jude... he had to plead and switch shifts with another nurse's assistant, and judging from what he said, he'd be hearing about it later from his father. Part of Yosuke was tempted to offer to wait until he got out of work, but the rest of him, a smarter part of him, knew that Jude wouldn't go for that. Not with the personal feeling these particular kidnappings had.

As the group of them sat around the table at Junes, Yosuke definitely took notice of the fact that he and Jude looked far more dismal than everyone else. Everyone was bothered, but the rest of them, if Yosuke had to guess, were bothered by the fact that the kids in the TV were so young. Naoto knew, though. And he suspected that Rise did, too.

By the time they got into the TV, Yosuke was more anxious than ever. These kids had it hard enough. Bullied, evidently living with neglectful parents... he couldn't stand to leave them in here for any longer than they'd already been here. Jude seemed to be taking things equally as seriously, as the two of them cut through the shadows as quickly as possible. The dungeon itself spread across the length of a giant, rundown building. Cobwebs coated the walls, just like they had on the midnight channel last night. Every room they entered was lined with rusty bunk beds that looked like they belonged more in a prison than any kind of home situation. The whole situation, the feel of the place, made Yosuke's chest ache a little more, and his protective instinct flare up a little higher.

It was strange. It had been more than two years since he'd done any fighting at all, but the feeling of his knives in his hands was very familiar. Chie and Jude still fought like trained professionals—the constant training needed to master a martial art shone through clearly—and it was obvious that they helped each other, since he saw bits and pieces of their individual styles crossing over. Jude breezed across the battlefield with a speed that put even Yosuke to shame, and for a second, he found himself watching distractedly while he and Chie teamed up against a giant Jotun shadow. But just as quickly, he pulled himself back into the situation and joined them in the fight.

"You know," Elize's shadow taunted them from some unidentifiable place, "it's kind of funny how the only way it seems like anyone cares about us is when we get kidnapped."

Ken's shadow's voice cut through the air with a snorted laugh. "Right? Day after day, we're always ignored and picked on, and the only reason anyone cares now is 'cause we suddenly disappeared." It huffed an annoyed sigh. The shadow's voice sounded far less mature than Ken himself. "Maybe it'd be better if we just disappeared forever. 'Least we wouldn't get picked on." The shadow pair stopped talking, and a jingling noise faded into the distance.

Jude clenched his fists, and Yosuke realized that as much as this was affecting him, the taunting words the shadows said were probably even harder on Jude. Jude's own shadow had said some strikingly similar things a couple of years ago. Man, was Yosuke ever glad that they'd managed to break that trend for him and pull him into a group of people who cared for him like their own family. Still, hearing about people in the same position had to be painful, had to bring back some unpleasant memories. So much so, in fact, that he was staring upward, after the voice, and he was completely unaware of the shadow coming up behind him.

Yosuke summoned his persona quickly and knocked the shadow down with a garudyne. The wind whipped around behind Jude, and apparently brought him back to reality. "Th-thanks..." he mumbled, his face still twisted with frustration.

"It's okay, Jude," Yosuke said, after pulling his headphones from his ears and placing his knives in his belt. He placed his hand on Jude's shoulder gently, watching as Jude looked up at him with obvious concern just barely hidden behind the frustration. The area around them was clear, so it was okay to stop for a few seconds. "It's okay," he repeated, stepping in front of Jude and putting a hand on each of his shoulders. He crouched down just slightly, so that he and Jude were face to face. "We'll get to them, alright? We will. We always do. But you need to keep focused."

Jude was quiet for a few second, but then he nodded. "I know. It's just... the whole thing hits really close to home," he told Yosuke helplessly. "Before I met you guys, I was like that. Totally alone, you know? I felt like it'd be better if I disappeared, so... knowing that these two feel like that..."

It wasn't like Yosuke didn't know that was what he was thinking. He did. But hearing him say it made it all the more real. The protectiveness that he always showed to the team was being thrown at these kids, and Yosuke found that it made his determination all the stronger. Of course he wanted to find them because they needed to be found, but Jude's determination, his genuine resolve to get these kids out of here doubled Yosuke's own. He dropped his hands from Jude's shoulders and gave him a secure smile, letting one hand linger on his arm for a couple of extra seconds, before dropping it to his side.

"But they won't disappear," Naoto spoke from behind Yosuke, before he had the chance to continue. "Because you're so determined to get there, and the rest of us are so determined to help you, there's no way that they'll disappear."

Rise nodded as she walked up behind Jude. "This isn't like it was back then, right? You haven't been a loner like that for ages, and we won't let you be anymore." She beamed proudly at him. "So, this isn't like... you against the world or whatever's going on in that moppy head of yours. It's us. Against what we're so familiar with." She nudged him with her hip, making him stumble to the side a little bit.

With a nod, Kanji clapped Jude on the shoulder. "Kickin' shadow ass is what we do, right?" He shook Jude gently, trying to jar him from his concerned stupor.

Jude blinked a couple of times; obviously he hadn't been expecting quite the outpouring supportive response he got. It was almost like he realized, in that moment, that he really wasn't alone anymore. He hadn't been alone for a couple of years now, no, but sometimes—and Yosuke could vouch for this personally—a realization like that took some time to hit home. He smiled. "Right. Th-thanks guys," he chuckled softly.

Chie took a fighting stance and hopped back and forth from one foot to the other. "Now, c'mon! Let's go kick some shadow butt!" Her voice was a little louder than everyone else's, and it echoed through the silence surrounding them.

"Especially since Chie-chan probably just alerted every shadow in the world to our presence!" Teddie chimed in, and the rest of the group laughed after him.

Yosuke stayed behind while everyone followed Naoto, waiting for Jude to start moving before he did, too. "Rise was right, you know," he said seriously as they headed around the corner. The lack of shadows in the area was both nice and concerning. But it gave him a chance to reassure Jude a little more. "It's not you against the world. Not even when they aren't around. You've always got me." 

With a nod, Jude started following behind the group and beckoned for Yosuke to follow him. "I know," he agreed. "And I can't let the shadows get to me like that, either. It's what they do, and I don't want my own to come back out." He took a deep breath. "I've come a long way since then. We've all come a long way since then. It's kind of funny how things follow you for so long, isn't it?" He turned to look up at Yosuke with a humorless chuckle.

And yeah, Yosuke could definitely relate to that. "And all it takes is a mention of it to drag you back in. I know how you feel." He took his knives back from his belt. "But just, you know... talk to me, alright? We'll get through it." He gave Jude a warm smile. It was only fair, after all. Jude listened to him all the time.

After the smile Jude gave him, the pair rushed to make their way up to the rest of the group. The glimpse into Jude's doubt—something that the group of them didn't see too often—renewed the rest of the team's vigor, and they cut through enemies twice as fast as they did before. Sure, they always worked hard, but to Yosuke, it almost seemed like the rest of the group was trying to reiterate the fact that he wasn't by himself. That, even though they didn't see each other every day like they used to in high school, they were still a dysfunctional little family, and they still loved each other just as much.

Before they knew it, they were standing before a large door that looked like it led to a dining room. Yosuke looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group, before pulling his headphones off and moving forward to push the door open. He could hear murmurs of the shadow's sadistic musings inside the room, though through the door, it sounded a lot more like sarcastic muttering. Naoto was at his side when they pushed the door open, and the rest of the team filed in behind them.

The scene was both surprising and not. The room was, in fact, a dining hall. It was empty, and covered with the same cobwebs and dust that the rest of the building had been. It was dark, too, lit solely by a few sets of candles, set in candelabras and seemingly endless. Who knew how long they'd been going, and yet they still went strong; the wax hadn't melted and the wick hadn't shrunk. Just another peculiar thing to add to the ever-growing list about this world. Elize was covering her face with her hands, crying, much like the pose that the staticky version of her made on the Midnight Channel a couple of days ago. Ken stood in front of her, trying to stand tall and protectively between the frightened girl and the shadows. The shadows themselves were standing like precocious children, their hands on their hips and cruel smiles on their faces as they taunted the kids.

"Big brave Ken-chan has to be the big man and protect poor defenseless Elize-tan from everything!" The shadows spoke like twins; eerie twins like they always showed in horror movies. They stood like innocent children, but with the way Ken and Elize cowered before them, Yosuke could tell that their words cut like knives. "What would she be without you? Useless, right? Can't defend herself from bullies and can't even function without that stupid little doll attached to her arm."

Ken stamped his foot and shook his head no. "She's not useless! Don't call her useless!" Fury coursed through his young face and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

The shadows spoke again, the same haunting twin voices filling the room. "You hear that, Elize-tan? You really _are_ useless without him. Look at you cowering. Hiding behind him like a little chicken baby and hugging that _dolly_ like a lifeline. You're the only reason he's so smart, you know. So big and strong and tough. He has to be, to make up for your dead weight. Maybe it's _not_ you who's useless. Maybe it's him! Without you, he'd be complete and total dead weight. Right, Ken-chan?"

The bravado Ken was displaying faltered, and he turned and looked down at the floor. In the silence, the weight that filled the room, Elize's voice rang clearly. Not the warped shadow version, but the small, shy voice of the girl herself. "Don't talk to Ken like that!" she shouted.

With a chuckle, the shadows shrugged. "But it's true, isn't it? You both wish that sometimes you could be less dependent on each other. That you didn't _need_ one another to get through the day! Sometimes you wish that you didn't know each other. Maybe if you didn't always feel the need to protect each other, you could be normal! You could have friends and people wouldn't pick on you so much!" It took a split second for the denials to escape the children's mouths, but the shadows hummed thoughtfully. "No? It's not true? We know that it is. We're you. You can't deny it."

"I _don't_ feel that way!" Elize's voice ripped through the silence. "Ken is important to me! He's my friend! He isn't just a protector."

Ken's voice was equally determined when he spoke up. "I don't feel that way either!" He got in the shadow's face.

"Don't!" Varying voices of the team members around Yosuke rang out, but Jude's was the clearest. "Don't deny it-"

Elize shook her head no, looking from the group of adults in the room back to the shadows. It may have been a mistake to make their presence known. Everyone knew how it felt to have their personal feelings spilled out onto the floor in front of relative strangers. Knowing that they were there made it all the more difficult. Denial twisted her face, and she shook her head no. She and Ken spoke almost at the same time.

"I _don't_ feel that way!"

"No! Me either! You're not me at all!"

"You're not _me_!"

Ken's shouted declaration, right after Elize's denial, rang through the room like someone had just banged a gong. It was a haunting echo behind the shadows' laughter as they twisted and morphed into their true forms. Elize's shadow turned into a slender woman with pale skin, an evil face and snakes like Medusa had coming from her hair. She bared down on the kids like a cruel mother. Ken's shadow turned into a strange being with buzz-saws for hands and feet and a giant buzz saw for a head. The moment the saws started turning was the moment Yosuke realized that they _definitely_ needed to do something.

But Jude beat him to it. The protectiveness that Yosuke had seen on his face several times flashed again, when he shouted, "HEY!" at the shadows. "Why don't you pick on someone who can defend themselves? Come, Kushinada!" He punched at the tarot card in the air and in an instant, Yosuke saw the familiar persona appear behind him.

Wind swirled around the two shadows, and they stumbled and turned, taking notice of Jude and completely abandoning their pursuit of the kids. With their attention distracted, Rise ran over to Ken and Elize and pulled them away from the fight, standing a safe distance away and keeping them behind her. Yosuke felt a swell of pride rise up, but it was quickly stomped out by a partnered swell of panic. The two shadows stood in front of Jude like juggernauts, and if the team didn't act quickly... as if everyone's minds were in the same place, the rest of the team rushed up behind Jude.

 _I'm going to have to yell at him for this later..._ Yosuke thought, before quickly summoning his own persona and attacking with his own magarudyne.

The team worked together like a well oiled machine, Rise shouting what the shadows were weak to, from behind them; Ken's was weak to darkness, and Elize's to light. With some opportune dodging mixed in with some well-timed blocking spells from Naoto and Jude, the group of them managed to stay on their feet, despite the bevy of hama and mudo skills being thrown at them. Only once did both Naoto _and_ Jude miss a beat, but they quickly pulled Yukiko back to her feet after the hamaon hit her. It took awhile, even with how well they were working together, but the first shadow to fall was Ken's. Chie and Teddie attacked at the same time, hitting it with a pair of bufudynes, and it fell to the ground, morphing back into Ken's form. Elize's shadow stood furious at the loss of its partner, and Chie, Kanji and Jude took the chance to knock it down with a barrage of physical attacks.

With a shout, the shadow disintegrated back into Elize's form, and before Yosuke could blink, Jude was over by Rise and the kids, trying to be sure they were okay.

Yosuke could barely focus on what was being said. The panic and worry about Jude still rushed through his system like a bad trip, and he found his eyes completely glued to his best friend's form as he crouched over the kids and checked them for injuries. In Yosuke's half-awareness, he heard Chie tell the kids that negative feelings were okay, and then she and Yukiko recalled their own similar situation; how they felt dependent on one another and how their shadows preyed on those feelings.

"Sh-shadows?" Some of the maturity was back in Ken's voice now, but it was slightly stifled by a lingering fear and worry about the shadow who lay in his form, a few feet away. He turned to look at Elize, who was staring between the members of the team.

She blinked a couple of times. "What were... what were the things you guys called? They looked like cartoon heroes. Birds and spirits and..." Her attention turned to her shadow, then she looked directly at Yosuke.

He stepped forward, crouching down next to Jude. "They're our personas. We got those in situations kind of like this," he explained. "Yukiko and Chie got theirs in the situation they explained to you. We all had our shadows reveal things we didn't want other people to know we thought. And we got our personas when we accepted the truth in them. It's not necessarily all true. We know that. But the shadow comes from the parts of you that you want to keep hidden. Things you don't want people to know."

Ken was quiet. He looked at Elize, and Elize looked back. The two shared a moment of silent communication—Yosuke didn't quite understand the undertones of it, but it was a definite sign of the bond between them, that they could communicate like that without speaking—before sharing weak smiles, secure nods and getting to their feet. Ken wet his lips, before turning to Jude and asking, "if we accept them... they go away, and we get personas like that, too?" Jude nodded is answer, and Ken reached out to take Elize's hand.

The shadows stood when Ken and Elize approached, and the kids stood near-dauntlessly in front of them. With a glance back at the team behind them, and encouraging nods from the group, they turned back around and Ken spoke first. "I admit it. Sometimes I think things would be a little bit easier if I wasn't always protecting Elize," he said frankly. "And yeah, sometimes I think it'd be nice to be popular and have a ton of friends instead of the friendship I have with Elize. I do wonder." He flashed Elize an apologetic look.

She smiled weakly at him and shook her head. "And sometimes," she said, turning her head back to her shadow, "sometimes I wish that I was brave enough to protect myself. That I didn't always need Ken as much as I do." She squeezed his hand gently, a silent reassurance. "But the fact that we need each other, that we depend on each other as much as we do isn't a weakness.."

Ken shook his head no. "It makes us stronger. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her," he said seriously.

"And there's nothing I wouldn't do for him," Elize echoed.

With a smile at Elize, Ken turned his attention to the shadow, speaking with that same maturity that belied his age. "Maybe it does make us vulnerable, but having something to protect also makes us stronger," he said seriously.

As the conversation finished, and the shadows faded and turned into the kids' personas, Yosuke found himself concerned about a pair of things. Firstly, if this meant that the kids would want to help them. Yosuke, of course, knew that they weren't really in a position to refuse, being that the team themselves had been merely kids when they'd been thrown into this mystery in the first place, but these two were younger than any of them had been. Even younger than Naoto. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, honestly. The second worry was about Jude. The way he'd reacted, throwing himself in front of two monstrous shadows like he had, and the words Ken had just said, about being vulnerable and having something to protect... it made Yosuke's chest constrict.

He'd lost everyone he'd fallen for, either to death or prison. Losing Jude... that might kill him.

"Ready to go, Yosuke?" Jude's voice snapped him out of his thought process.

Until that moment, he hadn't realized that he'd been quiet through a whole conversation among the team. He chewed on his lip and nodded his head. "Y-yeah. Let's get these two home..." he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Ken and Elize's Personas](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14iEAQfe7YEMF6LgOYiU6Gqv2HUcs1sV4jFTiTq31sOs/edit?usp=sharing).
> 
> It's been brought to my attention (thank you again, Varupikusu) that I should also mention that this story is running on the assumption that Ken wasn't involved in the events of Persona 3. Becsuse of that, he doesn't have his persona/know about shadows yet. Sorry for any confusion the lack of explanation may have caused!


	10. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A promise leads to an interesting occurrence.

8:55 pm  
"Are you okay?"

Jude's voice pierced through the silence in the room, and Yosuke found himself jumping in response. It had probably been quite awhile since he'd said anything, honestly, but he didn't really know what to say. The worry that something would happen to Jude... it hadn't really entered his mind since they'd fought Souji in the TV, but now, here it was, stronger than he could've imagined. Seeing him standing up to two shadows that could probably kill him in half a second... Yosuke couldn't remember the last time his heart had pounded like that. Since they'd left the TV, he knew that he'd been uncharacteristically quiet, but he honestly didn't know what he was supposed to say. Every fiber of his being wanted to yell at Jude. Tell him to think before he acted; before he did anything like that ever again. But the rest of him knew that wasn't fair.

Was he okay? How did he answer that question without an explosion that he wasn't entirely sure Jude deserved? He scratched a hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders, before standing and turning to walk to the kitchen. This was a conversation that was probably best had when distracted. Then maybe he wouldn't overreact.

He heard Jude's footsteps from behind him. Sighing, he looked up and saw his best friend's face in the reflection of the microwave. "Hey... you've barely said a word since we got Elize and Ken home..." The concern in his voice practically filled the air like it was a gas or something like that. "Are you okay?" It was the same question he'd just asked, but this time his voice was quieter.

"Kind of. Not really. I don't know." Yosuke scratched a hand through his hair and heaved an annoyed sigh. "I'm... when we were in the TV... when we went up against Ken and Elize's shadows?" He kept his back turned to Jude, his hands on the kitchen counter.

Jude's eyes widened and he took a couple of steps closer. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" 

Against his volition, Yosuke turned his head to look at Jude. He shook his head no and narrowed his eyes. "No, I didn't get hurt!" he snapped. His face twisted in frustration as he looked down at his best friend. Damn it, how was he supposed to explain this without sounding like a complete ass? The whole thing turned out okay, but he was still worried. Paranoid. Like an idiot.

Curiosity and worry flashed across Jude's face like someone had just turned on a light switch. "Wh-what happened, then? Are you... did I do something wrong?" He took a step back when Yosuke snapped, and that same inquisitive expression was back on his face, only mixed with quite a bit of concern.

"Yes. I mean... no." Yosuke paused and shook his head hard. "I mean..." What did he mean? He turned and looked at Jude, and he could practically feel the desperation on his face when he said, "why did you attack alone?" His voice was a little louder than he expected it to be, and he felt a flood of guilt wash over him when Jude stared blankly in response.

Blinking twice, Jude tilted his head to the side and smoothed a hand through his hair. "Wh-what do you..." He was quiet for a couple of seconds, and then it was as if a moment of realization dawned on him. "The whole leader thing? Should I have waited for you or Naoto to go first? I didn't realize that was w—"

Shaking his head hard, Yosuke huffed an irritated sigh and turned his back away from Jude. Being stared at when he talked still bothered him. "It's not that! I don't care about that. Well, I mean, I do. But not when it comes to jumping into the fight first." He looked at the clock on the wall on the other side of the room, to keep his attention away from Jude. "It was..." He trailed off. He _still_ wasn't sure exactly how to say this.

Jude's voice was quiet from behind him, when he repeated, "It was..." The statement ended with an upward inflection. It was a question. Urging Yosuke to continue.

With speed he usually reserved for the battlefield, Yosuke whirled around and looked at Jude with a serious look on his face. "Do you realize what it felt like, looking up to see you standing alone in front of those two freaking giant shadows? One with _buzz-saws_ for hands? Saws. That could have easily swung and cut your head off?" He bit his lip and turned to look away from Jude, suddenly feeling self-conscious about revealing so much.

The silence that filled the room was actually pretty damn loud, especially with Yosuke's mind taunting him. He'd lost a lot. And yeah, for the most part he'd dealt with it. He still thought about Saki's death and Souji's betrayal when he couldn't sleep some nights, but for the most part, he was okay. But, in a flash of an instant, in a situation that wasn't really all that threatening, all those anxieties, stresses and fears flooded back at him like someone busted a levee open. Loss. Losing. Being abandoned, whether intentionally or by accident... his greatest fear _used_ to be rejection, but now that had definitely changed.

After the silence became too deafening, and upon seeing Jude's completely perplexed expression, Yosuke wet his lips again and breathed out heavily. "It's not even that it was anything bad, what you did. If someone hadn't done something, the shadows would have killed those two. You saved their lives almost more than any of the rest of us." In that way, Jude was actually a hero; the only one out of them to realize what was happening and stand up and do something about it. "It's just... seeing you alone, standing in front of two shadows like that... I was scared." And his hatred of admitting fear hadn't changed since high school.

For a couple of seconds, Jude was still quiet, and Yosuke felt his concern mounting. "Can you... can you say something, please?" Though he knew Jude wasn't judgmental, he couldn't help but feel like he was being judged right now.

Though Jude still wasn't saying anything, Yosuke felt a definite shift in the air around him, and when he turned his head to look, Jude was stepping up closer to him. "I didn't mean to scare you." It wasn't an apology, but Yosuke honestly hadn't expected one. It wasn't like Jude had done anything wrong, in a factual sense.

Jude was closer now. _Not quite close enough,_ Yosuke's brain teased, but he was definitely closer. "I know." Yosuke chewed on his lip and turned to look back at Jude again. "I just... it's so selfish, but I can't help but remember..." _You know, remember all of the things that happened so many years ago that have more or less turned me into a mental case who doesn't trust anything anymore._ Sometimes, Yosuke's brain was crueler than any shadow's words could be.

"Souji," Jude said, like he knew that it was a fact. "And Saki."

Yosuke nodded his head. "Yeah. It's stupid. I know I can't stop you from fighting, and you're so good at it that I really wouldn't want to, anyway. But seeing you in danger... it..." He looked Jude square in the eye when he said, "it scares the living hell out of me, Jude. You're strong, you're smart... but sometimes, there's no accounting for everything." He wet his lips again.

Jude was quiet again, for a few seconds, and Yosuke recognized the look on his face as the look he got when he was trying to word something in his mind. Before he spoke, though, he took another step forward so that he was right in Yosuke's personal space. _That's a little better..._ his brain decided, of how close Jude was now.

When Jude finally spoke, his voice was a lot quieter than Yosuke expected. "It scares me, too," he said honestly. "The thought of something happening to you is more than I can really bear. But I know you're strong enough and smart enough to deal with anything the TV world can throw at you." Another step closer. He was within arms reach now.

"Almost anything," Yosuke's voice was quiet, but not unsure.

The room was completely quiet now. The only sound that Yosuke could hear was the sound of the clock ticking on the wall and the varying hums of electric appliances throughout the house. It was sort of dark... neither of them had really bothered to turn the lights on, because the city lights outside lit the apartment just fine. Some nights, at least when he was sleeping alone, the colorfully lit up 30 Frame sign made it hard to sleep. Right now, though... right now, between that light and the lights flickering from the arcade a few buildings down, it provided them with the perfect amount of light in the room.

Jude finally broke the silence. "Almost anything..." he repeated. "Me too."

Arm's reach. All it would take, literally _all_ it would take would be a lift of Yosuke's arm and a light pull, and Jude would be right there. And then Yosuke could kiss him. _Among other things..._ Looking at Jude where he stood, alternating between looking at Yosuke, and then down at the floor, Yosuke realized exactly strong those feelings were. "Can you promise me something?" He swallowed nervously.

"I'll try."

The nervousness that usually sprang up when they came close to talking about their feelings sprang up from the depths of Yosuke's gut. "Promise me that you'll never do anything like that again. Not without me." _That you won't leave me behind. That you won't leave me alone..._ he thought.

Jude was quiet. He took another half-step forward, and when Yosuke looked down and Jude looked up, Yosuke felt his breath hitch. Two years. Two years holding back his urge to grab Jude and kiss him like the world was ending. That had to be worth some kind of patience award, especially because they _lived_ together. _Just a little longer. I just need to hear his answer._

Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, Jude shook his head no. "I can't promise that. You know I can't just ignore it when someone is about to be hurt and I can prevent it." He paused, glancing down, and then glanced back up at Yosuke again. "But... I can promise that I'll only do it if there's a good reason. If I don't have any other choice. You... you have to promise the same thing, though..." he said seriously.

It wasn't what Yosuke wanted to hear. The answer he'd hoped for was an agreement to his promise, but maybe that was a little immature to hope for. He knew better than to expect Jude to ignore his protective instincts, because Yosuke couldn't even do that and his weren't even close to as strong as Jude's were. But he'd hoped. He'd genuinely hoped for some kind of certainty that he wouldn't experience that loss again. It was just another way he was immature, he guessed. Jude's words hung in the air, unanswered, but Yosuke couldn't expect Jude to promise something that he couldn't promise himself. So, he just nodded.

"I promise." It was the least he could do.

Neither of them made a move instantly. They just stood there, painfully close to each other in the silence and darkness of their kitchen. But... Yosuke needed to do something. Two years. _More_ than two years. He needed to act quickly, before something happened. Before Jude moved or the doorbell rang or the phone rang or he chickened out or... something. It was _always_ something. Before he could talk himself out of it, he'd reached out and grabbed Jude by the biceps, pulling him in close and capturing his lips in a bruising kiss.

He could tell Jude was stunned, especially with the way he didn't move right away. Eventually, he did move, though, closing the half inch of distance between them and pressing their chests together. Impossibly soft fingers trailed up Yosuke's arms and wrapped around his biceps, while Yosuke's own arms wrapped around Jude's lower back, pulling and keeping him close. Two years. Two years of ignoring, of denial, of cowardice... and in a split second, all the "no's" and "can't's" crumbled down to the floor. Had it been this easy all along? Had it really been all he needed to do; grab Jude and pull him close?

He'd reprimand himself later. Right now, he honestly didn't care.

Jude's lips felt the same. They were still soft and warm and almost exactly like Yosuke remembered. His body, though a little bit bigger, a little more filled out than he'd been in high school, still felt the same pressed against Yosuke's and the feeling spoke to something pleasant, deep inside of Yosuke. Along with a couple of other things. He turned their bodies and backed Jude into the kitchen counter, placing one arm on either side of his body and keeping him loosely pinned against the kitchen counter. Jude could escape if he wanted to, but he didn't make a move. Instead, his hands dropped to his sides, but then quickly came up to rest on Yosuke's hips. He broke the kiss and looked up at Yosuke with a deep red flush on his cheeks.

When this conversation had started, Yosuke could confidently say that this was the last place he expected it to go, but... he definitely wouldn't complain. Especially not when Jude leaned in and pressed his lips to Yosuke's neck. He tilted his head back a little bit and let his eyes flutter closed, letting out a gentle exhale and felt a little smirk quirking his lips. "We'd been skirting around things so much recently, I was wondering if either of us was ever going to do something..." he called into the air.

And to be honest, of all the ways for them to bring this topic to a head, this was the last way he'd expected it to happen. Not that he was complaining.

Jude chuckled against his skin and the hum tingled Yosuke's body, from his head all the way to his toes. Was this the best idea? There were still a lot of things that needed to be said, a lot of questions that probably needed to be asked. But right now... the logical part of his brain was easily drowned out by the warmth of Jude's lips on his collarbone and the pressure of Jude's hands on his hips. They could talk later. Two years of patience deserved a reward, right?

He pressed his hips forward experimentally, pressing them against Jude's and feeling his breath hitch when he realized that he wasn't the _only_ one interested in this. Still, he needed to know for sure.

"My bedroom...?" he asked in a breath.

It was supposed to be a full question. It really was. He wanted be suave. Cool. Like one of those guys in romantic movies that always seemed to get the girl or the guy or whoever they wanted to get. He wanted to ask an elaborate, seductive question, inviting Jude to his bedroom to see if this was going to continue. Even a joke would have sufficed; something to get the question out in typical Yosuke fashion... not that any of this conversation had really been in typical Yosuke fashion, anyway. But what he'd said just came out like a desperate man's plea. The two years he'd waited, though, gave a shameful amount of truth to that assessment.

Seeming not to care about any awkwardness, though, Jude hummed an affirmative response, but didn't halt the affections his lips were giving to Yosuke's collarbone.

Yosuke grabbed Jude's chin and pulled him back up to press their lips together hungrily as they fumbled their way in the dark, down the hallway toward Yosuke's bedroom. Yeah, tonight was definitely shaping up to be one for the scrapbooks.


	11. Timing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone shows up with almost-too-perfect timing.

**January 17th, 2015**

9:04 a.m.  
Admittedly, waking up in his bed alone the following morning had been concerning. For a split second, after the task of convincing himself that no, it hadn't been a dream, he wrestled with the irrational fear that Jude regretted falling into bed with him like that. That he'd run off and Yosuke would have to deal with the fallback of a spur of the moment decision that would end up costing him his best friend. Shortly thereafter, though, he remembered that it was Jude. Jude wasn't like that. Still, the bedroom felt colder somehow. The _bed_ felt colder somehow. Emptier. Especially with the vivid memory of the feeling of Jude's skin against his, and the way the pillow on the outside of the bed smelled like Jude's shampoo. He smiled as he rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling, those memories dancing around in his brain like a pleasant morning movie.

But just as quickly, he found himself wondering how Jude was feeling about it. He could just ask, couldn't he? It wasn't like it was a mistake. It wasn't like it was one of those things that the two of them would regret, ignore and never talk about again. Right?

Post-hookup etiquette was something new to Yosuke. It wasn't like he'd never hooked up with someone... he had. But he'd always actively been in a relationship with them. And none of them had been Jude. The "what to do's" here were obviously different.

He rolled out of bed and pulled his pajama pants from the floor, sliding them on before he made his way out into the kitchen to find breakfast. _What if he_ did _decide that it was a mistake?_ Yosuke couldn't stop his brain from tormenting him as he padded down the cold hallway floor.

From the hallway, though, he spotted a covered plate on the kitchen table, and a piece of paper beside it. An eyebrow arched, he walked over to the counter and eyed the paper. A note. Jude's handwriting was just as easy to determine as it had always been, and even before he really started reading the note, he found himself smiling.

_Yosuke,_  
_Sorry I didn't say anything this morning before I snuck out of bed. I really didn't have the heart to wake you up. Besides, I know how much you hate 5 a.m._

_I made you breakfast to make up for it, though! Blueberry pancakes. Hope you wake up while the bacon is still okay to eat, though. If you have the day off, my break is at 2. I'd much rather spend it with you than the stuck up doctors and nurses. See you then? If not, I'll see you after work. Naoto wants to meet up to talk about Elize and Ken._  
_Jude_

Before Jude's name, he could see a heavily scratched out word, and Yosuke found himself wondering exactly what it was. His mind teased him, of course, with what it could possibly be, but he couldn't let himself think about that for too long. With a smile, he nodded and picked the plate up to heat up his breakfast. _It's only nine, the bacon should still be okay..._ Honestly, Yosuke found himself wondering how Jude found the time to make breakfast like this before work. Yosuke could barely drag himself out of bed early enough to shower before work, himself. Still, he was grateful. And lucky, for that matter, that it was always he who benefited from Jude's selflessness.

While the microwave heated his breakfast, Yosuke took his phone from the pocket of his pajama pants, typing a quick text to Jude to confirm that he'd be there for his lunch break; that he'd make up for Jude making him breakfast by bringing lunch.

And now, he had a little bit of time to think. But what _should_ he think? It was astounding, how simple things had been after two years. Just because it had been simple yesterday, though, didn't mean that it would stay that way. There were still a lot of feelings that the two of them needed to talk about. And there was still the fact that Yosuke was afraid to lose. Of course, he was afraid to lose Jude before, but now... _Yeah. Now it'll be even worse._

He shook that thought away. Would it be easier to talk to Jude about his feelings now that they'd had sex? Did things usually work that way? No, no they didn't. Hooking up didn't mean that qualms and fears magically went away.

Although, if wishing made it so...

Yosuke snorted a laugh and took his food from the microwave when it beeped. _Once a coward, always a coward,_ his brain taunted. Maybe someday, he'd find it in him to be brave. Wouldn't that be nice? The smallest part of him wondered what would happen when he went to see Jude today, but he didn't allow himself to think about that for too long. They'd always been good at being friends, too, no matter what else happened. This would be the same, he was sure of it. Or, at least he told himself that he was sure of it.

*

12:30 p.m.  
A small piece of Yosuke felt guilty, going into Junes when he'd clearly asked his father for a couple of personal days. His father hadn't seemed to care, though; just greeted Yosuke and told him to have a good time with his friends. Yosuke knew that he was only trying to squash the guilt, but ironically, he only made it stronger. Still, before Yosuke could offer to come in for a part time shift, his father sent him away. He'd been doing that increasingly frequently, honestly. A part of Yosuke wondered if he'd caught on to the burnout Yosuke was feeling, but he didn't allow himself to think about that for too long. Every time he thought about it, the temptation to talk to his dad about going to college, doing something else... chaging _something_ which would start with cutting down his hours at Junes, got stronger. It wasn't realistic for him to quit his job. He already had financial security... something that most people his age would've killed for.

And apparently, his mind went to strange places when he was standing in the grocery section and not on the clock.

He stood, trying to find exactly what he wanted to bring to Jude for lunch. Several things looked appealing to him, but since Jude had made his favorite for breakfast... well, it was the least Yosuke could do to do the same for lunch. And there were little lunch-sized portions of tofu miso soup packaged on the shelf, like they'd been waiting for him. _Lucky,_ he thought as he leaned down to pick one up for Jude.

"Yosuke-san?" The voice from his left was familiar, and Yosuke found himself turning toward it.

As soon as he spotted the carrier, a smile spread across his face. "Elize-chan?" What was she doing here? They'd just gotten her out of the TV yesterday. "Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked.

She shook her head no, adjusting the doll in her arm as she looked over the prepackaged food shelves. "I gotta grab lunch for Ken and me. He's still got a little bit of a headache from yesterday, from the fog and stuff, but I feel pretty much okay, so I'm letting him sleep." Turning her attention to look up at Yosuke, she tilted her head inquisitively. "Are you working?"

Shaking his head no, Yosuke smiled as he held up the container of soup. "I'm getting lunch and going to visit Jude for his lunch break." He watched as Elize looked over the food. A thirteen year old kid shouldn't have to buy her own lunch, should she? "Why don't you pick out something for you and Ken, and I'll buy it." It was the second time he'd done that for her, sure, but from what he knew about her, she needed the kindness.

Her green eyes were wide, and she bit her lip. "This is the second time, though. You don't have to-"

Yosuke stopped her with a smile. "I know," he insisted, as he turned to look back at the food display, picking out a container of croquettes for himself. "I'm not doing it because I feel like I have to. You're only thirteen. You shouldn't have to buy your own lunch like this. So let me, okay?" He smiled at her.

The expression on her face was definitely surprised, but she smiled in spite of it, and nodded her head. "O-okay," she agreed with a nod. "Thanks, Yosuke-san."

Shaking his head, Yosuke shrugged. "Don't mention it. You still need to practice turning up the cute, though," he teased her, nodding toward the counter. "I'll walk you home, okay?" That way, if any bullies got any ideas on the way, he'd be able to stop them. It was a school day, but that didn't mean anything to the type of kids to flush a girl's doll down the toilet.

The smile on Elize's face grew a little more, and she chose two containers. "Thank you!" she beamed.

"Better," he nodded his head. "Stick with me, kid. We'll get the cute-factor to a thousand."

Elize was laughing as they walked to the counter, and Yosuke smiled a little wider. The laughing and smiling was a stark contrast from what he'd seen inside of the TV, and it was a relief. He'd always been glad that they'd rescued the kids, sure, but talking with her right then, it was definitely a bigger relief.

Once Yosuke paid for all the food, they walked the familiar path from Junes to the residential district, and Elize chattered the whole way. About school, about Ken, about how much she loved ice skating with he and Jude the day before yesterday... it was the most open he'd ever seen her, honestly, and all he could really do was smile in the face of it. She was a nice girl. A little shy and quiet at first, but kind and excitable if you managed to get beyond that. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of a younger Yukiko; the way she'd been in high school. Kind, but shy... and excitable when you managed to get past that. Yukiko was more confident now, and Yosuke had to wonder if that had to do with her time with the team.

Which brought his mind back to Elize. If she was anything like Yukiko at all, she would want to join. If Ken was anything like Jude, so would he. While he was still uncomfortable with the idea of kids so young helping them in a place so dangerous... he didn't really want to tell them no.

As if she'd read his mind, Elize looked up at him with her green eyes sparkling with hope. "Yosuke-san, can I ask you a question?" Her voice was shy again, like it had been when they'd first met.

Yosuke nodded. "Sure, what's up?" He had no way to know for sure what she was going to ask, but he had a feeling.

"Ken and me were talking this morning," she explained. "We really want to help you and your friends. Someone's throwing people into... into that place, right? Trying to hurt them?"

The question filled him with both dread and relief. Dread for obvious reasons, and relief that he wouldn't have to bring it up himself. He nodded his head. "Something like that, yeah." Hurting them was only the start of it, but he didn't really want to say that right now.

"And you and your friends are trying to catch them?"

Yosuke nodded.

"And now that I have my persona-thingy, I can help you save people and catch whoever's hurting them? Ken and me?"

Another nod.

"So, can we? Ken's a good fighter. He practices with a pike and stuff. And I can learn. I'm not strong, but I know how to hit things and I know Ken will teach me."

Yosuke didn't say anything at first.

"Please?" Elize begged. "We were scared in there, but we're not chicken all the time, I promise, and you and your friends were so nice to us and we just really, really wanna help!" She barely breathed in her plea, and Yosuke turned to look, only to see that her hands were clasped together in a begging motion.

He laughed a little bit. "I don't decide on my own," he told her seriously. "But if you really, really want to help, I'll talk to the others and put in the good word." He still didn't feel great about it, no, but she seemed eager. And he knew the others wouldn't mind.

Elize seemed placated for the time being. She had a smile on her face, and she looked proud for some reason or another, but she didn't say anything for a little while. From the corner of his eye, Yosuke noticed her thinking; like she was deciding whether or not she wanted to ask something.

"Something on your mind?" he asked her.

But when she spoke up, he wished he hadn't asked. "Is Jude-san your boyfriend?"

The question was blunt and point blank, but Yosuke almost felt whiplash from how quickly he looked at her. He blinked twice. What evidence did she have to point to that? "Um... what?" That was the most coherent response he could come up with.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just noticed when we were all skating. How you two looked at each other and stuff. It's almost like the characters in manga do. Like you always want to kiss each other and everything..." She shrugged again.

Yosuke was completely at a loss. For the most part, he thought he was pretty good at hiding his feelings for Jude when they were in public, at least when they were around strangers. And in the back of his mind, he found himself wondering if they gave off the same suspicions around other people. Around the rest of the town. Around Yosuke's _parents_... and... were his cheeks red? Yeah, his cheeks were red. Elize was looking at him expectantly, and Yosuke found himself fumbling for words, desperate to find some way to respond. Because, how _did_ he?

"Lutus-chan!" A familiar voice came from behind them.

For a split second, Yosuke was relieved that he didn't have to answer the question right away. But the relief faded and shifted when he turned to see who had called out. Almost immediately, he felt his hackles rise.

Of course. "Adachi-san..." he said in a flat tone, trying to keep the seething from his tone.

"Yosuke? I didn't know you knew Lutus-chan." Adachi's voice seemed surprised, but there was something about the tone that just seemed... false. Fake. Like he was trying to present surprise, when he really knew full well that the two of them were friendly.

Elize looked suspicious, but she didn't make a move right away. She just looked from Adachi, up to Yosuke, seeming to balk at the expression on his face. She still didn't move, though.

Yosuke gave a sarcastic laugh. "It's a small town," he said calmly.

"Yeah, one that you don't live in anymore," Adachi snorted a laugh.

Arching an eyebrow, Yosuke shrugged his head to one side. "Yeah. But I work here every day." His tone probably didn't hide his suspicion at all, but at this point, he didn't care. "So, you wanted to talk to her?"

Adachi went quiet for a couple of seconds, then shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Yeah. Dojima-san asked me to get a couple of answers about when she and Ken disappeared, where she was before you guys found her and everything. I need to talk to her in private for a minute, is all." He smiled and looked at Elize.

But Elize shook her head and took a step backward. "Uh-uh," she refused in a meek voice. She was obviously uncomfortable, and Yosuke wondered if it was her picking up on his subconscious cues, or if she was suspicious on her own.

A flash of strange suspicion crossed Adachi's face, and he took a step forward. "I'm going to have to insist, Lutus-chan." He nodded over to a street-side bench a few feet away.

Elize shrunk back a little bit, and that was all Yosuke needed to see. "Hey," he spoke sternly, taking a step diagonally forward and placing himself squarely between Elize and Adachi. "You're obviously making her uncomfortable. So stop it." His voice left no room for argument.

But Adachi found a way, anyway. "It's my job. I'm not going to hurt her. Don't worry, Hanamura."

That familiar feeling that those words dredged up bubbled in Yosuke's stomach again, and it was almost like an alarm sounded in his mind. It him feel dizzy for a split-second, but as soon as it faded, his stance got stiffer, reiterating the fact that he refused to let Adachi get past him to Elize.

"It's not your job to scare kids, Adachi," he said seriously.

Adachi's eyes flashed with something Yosuke had never seen in them before, and honestly, it scared him. Fury. Mania. The last time he'd seen a look like that was... _Souji. In the TV, when he..._ The memory made him dizzy all over again, and he felt his tough facade crumbling a little bit. Elize was actually hiding behind him now, though; he felt her hands clinging to the back of his jacket. He needed to be firm, be resolute here, or else she could get hurt.

A sneer crossed Adachi's face. "And it's not your job to impede a criminal investigation, Hanamura." His tone was mocking, taunting.

Yosuke refused to back down, though. "Are you going to arrest me, then?" His fists were clenced tightly at his side, and he was fighting down every instinct that told him to just punch Adachi.

"Just let me do my job!" Adachi's voice was low and dangerous now. Threatening.

But Yosuke shook his head.

The next couple of seconds almost seemed to happen in slow motion. Adachi grabbed at Yosuke's arm and pushed him aside to get to Elize, and as his body was forced sideways, Yosuke felt his feet slide out from under him on the icy sidewalk. Falling was a strange sensation. Sometimes it happened quickly, but other times, times like this... it happened in slow motion. He was acutely aware of the cold wind as it whipped around him and the painful impact his shoulder, then his head, made on the ground. The second his head hit the icy asphalt, a sickeningly familiar swimming feeling draped over him.

"He hit his head!" Elize shouted.

"Is he breathing?" Even half-consious, he heard the fakeness in Adachi's concerned response. "He's breathing!"

The sound of cell phone buttons beeping was deafening. "I'm calling the hospital!" She didn't even acknowledge Adachi's presence. Brave little girl.

Though his consciousness was fading, he opened his eyes. As soon as he did, though, he wished that he hadn't. A familiar figure cast a dark shadow against the blinding sunlight, and the distance of Elize's voice on the phone left only one answer. And left absolutely no more doubts in his mind about what had happened in 2012.

As his consciousness slipped away, he could have sworn that he saw a grin crossing Adachi's lips as he loomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to Varupikusu, once again, for helping me with the persona problems I was having and for making some awesome sketches for me!
> 
> Jude's persona is [Kushinada](http://nakashimamayu.deviantart.com/art/Idea-Jude-s-Persona-1-484281217?q=gallery%3ANakashimaMayu&qo=0), Ken's is [Ame-no-Tajikarawo](http://nakashimamayu.deviantart.com/art/Idea-Ken-s-alternate-persona-484457691) and Elize's is still Ame-no-Uzume.


	12. Fret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jude worries.

The first five hours of Jude's work day flew by like nothing.

Usually, work in and of itself was enough to frustrate Jude. But throw in the fact that he and Yosuke had done... what they did, and it was hard for him to keep from being distracted. He managed, of course, but every time he had a free moment, he found his mind going to the night prior. To the feeling of Yosuke's skin against his, to being in Yosuke's bed... to Yosuke in general. Most of the time, Jude was pretty good at getting things like that out of his mind when it came to working, but as he did with most things, Yosuke had completely bucked the trend and changed the way things happened.

It wasn't a bad thing, really. Of course it wasn't a bad thing. In addition to having his mind a million miles away, he was pretty sure he'd never smiled this much at work as he had that morning. He was fairly certain that Uehura-san thought he was insane, the way he spent the whole morning grinning. For once, though, he didn't care. She could think what she wanted, and usually, she did anyway.

When lunch rolled around, Yosuke would be there. It wasn't like it was the first time Yosuke had visited for lunch, no. But if the way he was feeling was any indication, it would be obvious to everyone in the hospital that Yosuke was a hundred percent the reason that he was smiling like he was.

The parts of him that were aware beyond the pleasant haze that Yosuke had put over his brain, though, played what felt like a skipping disc of anxieties in his head over and over again. _Just because we spent the night together, doesn't mean that we are together,_ he told himself, as he stocked the hospital linen closet. _There's more to being together than just sleeping together, and there are still so many things you need to know. What does it mean now? Was it a one time thing? Was that a replacement for talking about your feelings, or was it just an easy way for him to end an unpleasant conversation? Does this mean that he still feels the same about me as he did in high school?_ Admittedly, the tiniest, most masochistic part of him wondered if agreeing to crawl into bed with Yosuke without the answers to all those questions was the smartest thing he could have done.

_Of course it wasn't, but you definitely weren't thinking with your brain last night, were you?_

At about ten a.m., those anxieties mounted, and the smile on his face wilted a little bit. Would things between them be weird now? That was the way things went in sitcoms, wasn't it? Best friends who were best friends through thick, thin, thicker and everything else, but then they slept together and everything changed. Jude didn't want everything to change. He liked how things were with Yosuke... for the most part, anyway.

"Mathis!" Uehura-san's voice pierced through his thoughts, and for once he was grateful for the sound.

Still, he jumped at the sudden sound and dropped the pair of towels that he was still holding on the floor. "Yes, Uehura-san?" he replied, leaning down to pick the towels up and draping them over his arm. They'd obviously need to be rewashed.

Uehura-san's face was far from impressed. She glared at him and rolled her eyes. "About time you came back from cloud nine," she chided him. "I need you to clean up ER room seven. The patient was transfered to the burn ward, and the room is a mess."

He nodded his head, but didn't move from where he stood. She was still in the door, after all. "Anything else, Uehura-san?" he asked her.

She stared at the towels on his arm. "Yes. Those need to be rewashed. Be more careful next time." Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked down the hall, ducking into the nurse's station.

With her out of his sight, he heaved a sigh and shook his head. Like he didn't know that the towels needed to be rewashed. He hurried down the hall to the laundry room, to drop the towels off, and then headed to room seven. At least he'd be distracted for a little while, right? And then when Yosuke showed up for lunch... maybe he'd ask some of the hundred thousand questions whirling through his mind like a hurricane.

 _And then you'll run the risk of ruining everything,_ he thought as he walked into the room. Sometimes... sometimes his mind was worse than any treatment Uehura-san could give him.

*

When two o'clock came, then turned to two thirty... he sat in the cafeteria, wondering why Yosuke hadn't shown up yet. The whirlwind of questions strengthened and turned into a full-fledged tornado and he found himself unable to eat the cafeteria food in front of him... not that being unable to eat that food was entirely unusual. He flipped it over a couple of times on his chopsticks, but the anxiety balling his insides up like a crumpled piece of paper seemed to take his appetite along with it. He checked his phone for the fifth time, for a response to the 'where are you?' text he sent at about two fifteen, but there was none. That was peculiar. Not like Yosuke at all. Every time he'd had to cancel something on Jude, he always apologized profusely. More times than was actually necessary, really.

 _Must be another thing you wrecked,_ he thought to himself. And the thought replayed in that same skipping-disc fashion as the other had earlier.

By two forty five, he gave up, getting to his feet and dumping off the disgusting excuse for omelette and fried rice off in the garbage can. He took his phone out of his pocket to check one last time for messages, but the only thing he saw was a message from Rise, telling him that she had a present for him. Something she'd picked up on a day trip she and Teddie had taken to some city or another. A part of him felt guilty for the half-attention he paid when he thanked her, and he was sure that she'd catch on to the halfhearted response and ask him what was wrong... but right then, he couldn't bring himself to give her the eager, excited response that she probably wanted and definitely deserved.

Smoothing a hand through his hair, he sighed. _I guess I'll just go back on the clock early,_ he thought as he pushed the door to the cafeteria open. If Yosuke showed up, he knew where Jude would be, right?

He really didn't want to think that Yosuke would stand him up. It wasn't like him. Hell, maybe he had a good reason. But combining the anxiety he'd been feeling with the fact that he didn't show... it drowned out the logical side of him this time.

As he moved to sign back in, though, he caught sight of a familiar face heading toward the cafeteria and stopped in his tracks. _What is Elize doing here?_ he asked himself, blinking a couple of times and pressing his lips together. From a distance, she looked frantic, running down the hall of the ER and waving her arms at Jude, obviously trying to get his attention. She hurried up and stopped right in front of Jude, and reached out with one hand, grabbing him by the wrist and trying to pull him down the hallway.

"Elize-chan?" he blinked in amazement. "Wh-what's going on?"

She turned around and blinked a couple of times at him. "It's Yosuke-san!" Her voice was as frantic as her face.

The two word answer didn't give him any details, but really, it was all he needed to make his heart sink in his chest. Yosuke? He was here? With wide eyes, he looked down at Elize, before starting to follow in the direction that she pulled him.

Yosuke was here. In what context? "Is he okay?" he asked. But really, it was one of those questions that he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

Elize shook her head. Jude's heart sank further.

"Some creepy guy cornered us when he was walking me home from Junes and Yosuke tried to protect me and the guy grabbed him and shoved him down to get past him to me and he fell on the ground and hit his head..." She didn't breathe once in her explanation, her eyes fearful and worried.

Jude's own eyes widened. That sounded sickeningly familiar. His mind flashed back to Madomai in 2012, and the recounting Yosuke gave of when he'd been attacked by Souji's apartment. _Adachi?_ he asked himself, recalling Yosuke's own theory about the situation. Jude's steps had sped up to the point where he had passed Elize, but it occurred to him that she needed to lead him in the right direction. He slowed a little and waited for her to catch up, but his heart still raced like a pounding drum in his chest. _Yosuke._ Was he okay? He couldn't even ask Elize for the extent of it, either, because what could she possibly know?

Suddenly, though, he understood Yosuke's fear of loss, because in that moment, there was nothing else he could think about. He hit his head. Turning to look at Elize, who had stopped in front of a room and was pointing at it with the hand not holding her doll, Jude hesitated.

"In there?" It didn't really need to be asked, but Jude needed to buy himself a second of courage. After Elize nodded, he wet his lips. "Do you know how badly he's hurt?"

She shook her head. "Not too bad, I think. The doctor said he has a concussion or something and that there's a really bad bruise on his shoulder, but he's awake." Her expression was sad. Guilty.

Jude squeezed her shoulder and gave her a weak smile. "Thanks, Elize-chan. You did great. Do you want to come in with me?" He pointed at the door.

Once again, she shook her head. "I'm gonna go get Ken and go tell everyone else what happened. Naoto-san lives right down the street from us, so we'll walk over to her house and then head to the shopping district to tell Rise-chan," she said, with that same maturity that Ken had when Jude first met him.

Well, that took one thing of Jude's to-do list. He looked at the door of the room in front of him and nodded his head. "Alright..." he said as he turned his head to look back at Elize. "Thanks, Elize."

She gave him a half-smile, that once again belied her years in its maturity, and then turned to walk away, her purple doll still clutched tightly in her arms.

Jude walked up to the door and peered through the small window, into the room. He just wanted a cursory glance, a chance to prepare himself before he went in. It wasn't as if Yosuke was dying... but it still bothered Jude, seeing him hurt in any way. Yosuke was awake. That was actually kind of surprising, regardless of whether he knew about it or not. He was so much stronger than he gave himself credit for. His head was wrapped with gauze, and his shoulder was in a sling. His eyes were open, and he was sitting up in bed, staring intently down at his phone, typing on it with one hand. A couple seconds later, Jude felt his own phone buzzing in his pocket, and he gave an inward chuckle. Okay, so now he felt beyond guilty for doubting Yosuke; for disbelieving that he wanted to be there for lunch. _You're such a good friend,_ he thought sarcastically of himself, pushing the door open and wetting his lips.

"You know, if you keep hitting your head like that, I'm going to start thinking that you just like the hospital." His voice was quiet when he spoke. Of course, it was only after he finished that he realized that maybe, just maybe, making light of a situation like this wasn't the best idea.

Yosuke didn't seem fazed, though. In fact, he laughed. He went quiet for a couple of seconds after that, though, and said, "sorry I missed our lunch date." His tone was quiet, and a flash of guilt crossed his face.

Shaking his head and walking over to Yosuke's bed, he took a seat in the chair on the right side and swallowed thickly. "Don't even worry about it. Are you..." he stopped himself. Stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay. "What happened? I mean... Elize told me part of what happened, but..."

With a sigh, Yosuke looked up at Jude and bit his lip. "Adachi." It was a one word answer, but it told Jude more than any long-winded response could have.

Still, Jude couldn't help but wonder exactly what had transpired. Public display of affection be damned, he reached out and put a hand on Yosuke's knee. "I wish I could have been there..." he muttered softly. He didn't ask anymore questions, at least not right now. Yosuke would tell him what he needed to know, and he was sure he'd find out more later. "Maybe I could have done something."

"No," Yosuke said plainly, and then gave Jude a weak half-smile. "I'm glad you weren't," he said quietly. "I mean... who knows what he would have done with both of us there?" He paused, then placed his free hand on top of Jude's.

Jude wet his lips. "But at least I could have done something. Are you okay?" The question sounded needless, but it wasn't. He knew that Yosuke would know what he meant. It wasn't so much his physical state that Jude was asking about, but more how he was doing mentally.

Yosuke swallowed thickly. "Well, I can't say I really enjoy flashbacks," he said flatly, but the expression on his face said more than any flowery words could have. "But on the bright side, if you can call it that, the familiarity makes be believe that my theory is right."

With a frown, Jude nodded his head. "Yeah. What exactly happened?" He was sure the answer wasn't as simple as the question, but he had to know.

At first, Yosuke's only response was a sigh. "I ran into Elize-chan at Junes when I was buying our lunch, and I decided to walk her home to prevent any bullies from bothering her." He snorted a laugh. "Didn't really expect the bully to be in his twenties, but whatever." He paused again, blinking hard and groaning. "Fuck." Obviously, his head hurt.

"It's okay. Don't feel like you have to tell me right now." Jude stopped him before he continued. "I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry."

Yosuke made a humming noise of protest. "No, it's okay. I want to tell you. Just, talking too loud makes my head spin." He squeezed Jude's hand.

Jude squeezed Yosuke's knee and nodded. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere." And he wouldn't, either.

Arching an eyebrow, Yosuke gave a soft chuckle. "Except for back to work, right? Your break is almost over now." His lips quirked into a smirk.

Shaking his head no, Jude stood, and moved to sit on the bed beside Yosuke, taking his hand back, but sitting close. Closer than was probably necessary. "They can fire me if they want to." He might actually welcome it. "You're going to need someone with you when they send you home, to keep an eye on you, and if they can't understand that I need to go with you, then well... obviously they don't belong in the medical profession." It was difficult to keep his voice quiet, but he managed somehow.

Yosuke was laughing a little bit, once more. "You're cute when you get all fiery and passionate..." he said in a quiet voice, his face a little bit red.

Jude felt his cheeks turning pink, too. He smiled bashfully. "A-anyway," he murmured.

"Right." Yosuke still grinned wildly for a split second, but Jude could almost identify the moment that his mind went back to the situation at hand, because the grin wilted like a dying flower. "It was almost like he was following us. We were in the empty stretch between the shopping district and the residential area, about two blocks away from my parents' place, and he called out to Elize." He paused, looking down at the floor. "Apparently Dojima-san sent him to get a couple of answers from Elize, which means that I'll more than likely have to answer to him later, but it is what it is." An empty chuckle, and he continued. "He was making Elize really uncomfortable. Scaring her. So, I put myself between them, and well..."

He didn't need to say anything more, and honestly, Jude wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more. Jude felt his eyes narrowing. "Bastard..." he cursed.

Yosuke looked up at Jude and bit his lip. "That's not even the worst part. Everything he was saying just seemed so fake. And twice when I was talking to him, he just looked... he looked manic. Angry. _Crazy._ Almost like..." he trailed off, like he didn't want to finish.

"Almost like Souji in the TV. Right?"

Yosuke chuckled halfheartedly. "Yeah." He dashed his tongue out to wet his lips. "And he said that same thing again. 'Don't worry, Hanamura.' And then he loomed over me in the same way that... that the guy did. In Madomai." He swallowed.

Jude frowned. There had never really been any doubt in his mind about the validity of Yosuke's feelings; if he felt them strong enough, then there had to be some truth to them. But the evidence piling up the way it was? Well... now there was absolutely no doubt in his mind.

He sighed. "I wish there was some way we could corner him. Confront him with evidence of some sort and make him confess." But they didn't have any evidence. At least, none that Jude knew of.

"But all we have are my personal feelings."

"We'll talk to Naoto," Jude said seriously, standing up and turning to face him. "She'll help us. I'll tell her to come to our place when I bring you home, and the others to come tomorrow, so we can have our meeting about Ken and Elize. If we tell her, she'll help us." He could feel the determination on his face. "There's no way I'm letting this slide. No way. He needs to pay."

Yosuke was smiling again, and Jude wished that he could reciprocate, but the fury, the protective rage that he felt boiling in the pit of his stomach made it impossible.

"Thanks," Yosuke said softly. "For always believing in me."

Those words quelled the anger just a little bit, and Jude felt one corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile. In a display of bravery, he leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to Yosuke's cheek. He stayed close, long enough to lightly whisper in Yosuke's ear. "Always, okay? I'm always on your side." He pulled back and met Yosuke's eyes, and the fury was quelled even more by the smile Yosuke reflected back to him.

He meant it, too. He meant every word.


	13. Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Yosuke's injury, the team reaches a decision.

It was hard for Yosuke, doing nothing at home like this; forcing himself to sit there while Jude, and even Naoto and Kanji, took care of everything for him. But doctors orders were insistent that he take it easy for a couple of days and then come back for a check-up. Jude had tried, desperately tried, to get the next couple of days off so that he could take care of Yosuke, but the hospital had refused. It wasn't the threat of firing him that made Jude change his mind. It was the tone, the treacherous tone that Yosuke heard in Uehura-san's voice when she taunted him. _I'd hate to hear what your father would say, Jude._ Yosuke had only remembered seeing Jude blanch like that twice before, and both times involved his father.

As much as Yosuke wished he could like Jude's father? Yeah, he hated the guy passionately. And Sayoko Uehura was right behind him, which was more shocking than anything, since he usually loved nurses, but he hated the way she treated Jude.

The whole situation ended with Naoto and Kanji offering to stay at their apartment for a few days to keep an eye on Yosuke while Jude worked. The concept was embarrassing, kind of; he felt like a kid who needed to be passed between parents. But at the same time, it was nice to know that he had friends to take care of him when he needed them.

They sat around the kitchen table, with Jude a few feet away in the kitchen working on dinner for the group of them, and Naoto gave Yosuke something of an interview about what he remembered.

"So, the feeling was the same, then? And this is the second time it's happened like that?"

Naoto wasn't doubting. Yosuke could tell. She was questioning, doing her detective thing, but she wasn't doubting him. At the very least, just like before, she believed that _he_ believed his theory. But there was something different in her expression this time. She sat cross-legged on the couch, her notebook in her hand as she asked him her questions. Kanji sat beside her—Yosuke couldn't help but muse that they were a little closer than they used to sit, and he wondered what brought that on—a seething expression on his face. He looked like he was barely keeping something inside, and his fists were clenched at his sides. Yosuke had seen that look a few times, mostly in relation to Namatame and Souji, but this felt different. He looked furious. Suspicious. Like he knew something, and he was waiting for the right moment to let it burst out.

Yosuke still had his eyes on Kanji, but he nodded. "Well, third, actually. If you count back in Madomai in the back alley, right before we went after Souji..." he breathed a sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Kanji nodded his head and made a face. "Somethin' about that whole situation pissed me off in general, though. Like, what the fuck was Adachi doin' goin' to Madomai to confront Souji in the first place? Wouldn't the cops've said no?"

Naoto tilted her head and looked at Kanji. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Kanji shrugged again and turned to look at Naoto. "I dunno, it just seems weird to me. The cops knew he was close to Souji, right? Isn't that, like... conflict of interest?"

For a second, Naoto looked at Kanji in surprise, but then she paused and hummed thoughtfully. "Didn't he mention that he hadn't told Dojima-san about his discovery at the time, though? His trip to Madomai was a last ditch effort to get Souji to confess, wasn't it?" Another pause, and then she added, "or at least that was what he claimed..." with a frown.

The table fell silent, but almost as quickly, Jude's voice came from the kitchen. "I'm not sure I really trust anything Adachi says," he told them seriously.

With a glance over her shoulder at Jude, Naoto nodded her head. "It does seem a little too convenient to me that he always seems to be there whenever the two of you are in town and you're not at work." There was obvious frustration at having to mistrust someone in the criminal justice profession.

Kanji obviously didn't share the qualms, though. "And don't forget how he always hangs out at Junes, even when _he's_ on the clock." He shrugged his head to the side.

Wetting his lips, Yosuke nodded. "Yeah, Kanji's got a point," he said seriously. "He's around Junes almost more than I am. When we were in high school, like, back before the murders started and everything, I used to think it was kind of cool. Like... one of those adults that was cool enough to be friends with kids, who didn't care how old his friends were. But now it just feels different. Every time I turn around, he's there. It's almost like..." he trailed off. He didn't want to finish the thought.

But Naoto finished it for him. "Like he's stalking you."

Yosuke bit his lip. "Bet I sound nuts, don't I?" he asked.

"You don't." Jude came into the kitchen with a plate of chicken yakisoba in each hand, and he set them down on the table. "You don't sound nuts, okay?" He placed one plate in front of Kanji, then another in front of Yosuke, and he stopped in front of Yosuke with a serious expression on his face. "You feel how you feel."

Kanji nodded his agreement. "Jude's right," he said, his mouth already full of noodles. "And 'sides, if I'm bein' real here, I always had a weird feeling around the guy." He shrugged. "Always used to think that it was just because cops always gave me weird feelings, but I know now that it's more than that. It always kinda felt like he was right there, y'know? Revealing just enough information to make us curious, but stopping before he said too much."

Jude didn't know a whole lot about how Adachi had been when people were turning up dead. But he looked worried as he set a plate of food down in front of Naoto and moved across the table to sit next to Yosuke. "Do you really think he might be stalking Yosuke?" he asked Naoto.

Yosuke never really would have put it that way himself, honestly. It was strange that he was always there, sure, but stalking? Was it really stalking? The thought made his already-dizzy head spin a little bit more. Even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, he looked at Naoto. If he was being stalked... it was probably better to know, right?

After a moment of quiet pondering as she spun her noodles on her chopsticks, Naoto lifted her head and looked at Yosuke directly, biting her lip and then saying, "I can't say for sure." But Yosuke could see beyond the words, and he was sure that Jude and Kanji could, too. It was her careful way of not accusing, but letting him know that she was definitely suspicious.

"But it won't hurt for all of us to pay attention," Jude responded, and when Yosuke chanced a glance, he could clearly see the fire in his best friend's eyes.

It seemed that Kanji agreed. "And try to make sure that you're not alone much until we get it all sorted out." It was an unusual moment of mature seriousness from Kanji, and it made Yosuke feel even more unsettled.

Naoto hummed thoughtfully. "It may not be limited to just Yosuke, either."

The whole table went quiet. Clearly, it was something that they hadn't thought of, but now that they had, the concern was real. At least it was for Yosuke. "We should warn the others." Yosuke's voice was quieter than he probably wanted it to be. "And none of us should really be alone."

In the looming silence that draped over the table, Yosuke found his eyes wandering to Jude. For the next couple of days, he'd be alone a lot, wouldn't he? Or, at least more than usual. At night, too. For the ride home from Inaba, he'd be completely alone. He was about to mention it, when Kanji spoke up from across the table.

"There's something kinda weird about this whole thing. I mean... besides the obvious. Like... why would he stalk anyone? If he has something to hide, don't you think he'd want to avoid us?" He didn't even wait a second after finishing to stuff another bite of food into his mouth.

Silence loomed over the table for a few seconds, but then Jude spoke up. "I have a theory on that, actually." He hadn't even touched his dinner yet, but he'd been stirring it for the whole conversation. It was obvious that what he was going to say wasn't very pleasant. He sighed and said, "I think it might have something to do with Souji. After we fought him inside the TV, it seemed like he wanted to ensure that he followed you forever, you know? That he haunted you, or something." He didn't say anything after that, just picked up some noodles and finally started to eat.

Naoto's eyes were wide. "You think he's still..." she paused. "But..." It was rare to see Naoto so flustered.

Jude frowned. "I know. I know that I'm implying that they've been working together all along, and I know that it sounds conspiracy-theoryish, and I know we've discussed it before, but it's been nagging at me ever since Yosuke mentioned Adachi to me a couple of days ago." He chewed on his lip.

"We need to go see Souji." Yosuke said the words almost before the thought formed. "We need to find out."

Every eye in the room was on him now, but it seemed like at least Naoto agreed. "Yes. He has a lot to answer for, and I think he's the only one we'd be able to get an answer out of in regards to Jude's theory." She was right, of course. There was no way Adachi would ever be upfront with them. She looked at the table in thought for a moment and looked at the group of them. "But the problem is that he's allowed very limited visitors. They consider him too high risk. I know that I can see him. I can most likely get Chie in there with me, and Kanji-kun, too. It will take some finagling and some posturing, but I can most likely get you in, too, Yosuke. The rest of us, though..." She looked at Jude, like she was referring specifically to him.

Unsurprisingly, Jude caught on instantaneously. He turned to look at Yosuke, and there was obvious concern in his expression. Yosuke could tell that he didn't feel comfortable with this, but at the same time... there was recognition there. The big brown eyes that Yosuke had grown to love over time were gentle, sad, frustrated, and still a little bit angry. He knew that Yosuke needed this; that he needed the attempt at closure and that it was the only way to get answers as far as his theory went. Still, Yosuke was torn. Part of him wasn't in love with the idea of leaving Jude behind. Jude deserved to be there. He deserved just as many answers as anyone else did. But at the same time... he didn't want to know what Souji would say to Jude. The threats, the taunts... Yosuke could almost hear them, and he didn't want Jude to hear them.

"It's okay," he said, still looking at Yosuke. He turned his head toward the others. "It's okay," he repeated, though his face didn't show 'okay' at all. "Judging by how he was in the TV, having me there would only make him clam up, anyway. Or at least less likely to say anything meaningful. So... so, it's better if I stay behind anyway." As much as he meant what he was saying, he didn't want to. Yosuke could tell.

Yosuke frowned. It wasn't fair. Jude was as much a part of the team as anyone else was, and he deserved answers, too. He'd get them, of course. They'd tell him everything Souji told them. But... _But I kind of want him there..._ Yosuke thought.

The expression on Kanji's face was sympathetic. "Wish there was a way we could get around it, man," he said.

"We can go whenever Yosuke is feeling up to it." Naoto's voice wasn't unsympathetic, but Yosuke knew that there was nothing she could do, and that this was her way of trying to get their minds off of the guilt. "We shouldn't talk about it right now, though. It will only serve to make us angrier."

Kanji looked at her, a vaguely less-than-impressed expression on his face, but then he looked back at Yosuke and Jude. "By the way," he started. "Ken-kun and Elize-chan talked to us when they came to tell Naoto that you were in the hospital." He scratched a hand through his hair, his empty plate pushed back on the table a little bit.

Of course they did. Yosuke half-laughed. "I should have known they'd do that. So, you know that they want to help us inside of the TV then, right?" A part of Yosuke wondered how they felt about that, but he was willing to bet that it was more or less the same as he felt.

"When I talked to Chie, Yukiko and Rise about it, they seemed to hold the same stance as I do. We're really in no position to tell them no." Naoto shrugged her shoulders and breathed a sigh. "I'm not entirely sure how comfortable I am with having kids like them helping us out. But there's also the fact that we were just barely older than they were when we started doing this, we really don't have a whole lot of right to keep them out of it."

Jude nodded his agreement. "I also get the feeling that if we did tell them no, they'd just find a way to come along anyway." He still looked down, worried, but he was trying to put on a front. It looked, however, like he'd completely abandoned his dinner now. "Whether it was just sneaking along with us or, even worse, going into the TV themselves." He looked up, then, shrugging at the group of them.

"That's probably true," Yosuke agreed. "And we definitely don't want them trying to go in on their own."

Kanji shrugged. "Yeah. And we're pretty good at watching each other's backs, right? So... if they can fight, I don't see why we shouldn't let 'em come along. The help wouldn't kill us either."

Humming thoughtfully, Naoto nodded her head. "We can make a point to tell them sometime soon, then." She looked at Jude, her face falling in concern. "Are you alright, Jude? You look a little bit distracted." She tilted her head. 

"Yeah, and you've barely touched your dinner." Kanji glanced down at the table, at Jude's plate.

As if someone had shocked him, Jude looked up and nodded at the pair of them. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay," he reassured with a weak smile. "I'm just a little bit tired. Long day." He took a bite of his dinner and continued to play his mood off.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that there was something really bothering him, though. And the worst part of it was that it could be any number of things. Yosuke's concussion, the impending visit to Souji, the situation with Adachi, the kids... it really had been a long day. Yosuke watched Jude intently for a second, trying to read his face and determine which of the factors was bothering him the most, but Jude was carefully avoiding his gaze as he picked at his dinner. Yosuke subtly reached his hand over to Jude under the table, and squeezed his knee in support, letting him know without words that everything was okay, that it _would_ be okay, anyway. Nothing was going to happen. There was no way, now that they had the rest of the team on their side, that Adachi was going to get away with this.

The weak smile remained on Jude's face, and Yosuke couldn't help but feel guilty. When this whole thing was over and done with, when everything was solved and their lives were normal again, Yosuke would have to make this up to Jude, and it would start with a long conversation about things they'd needed to talk about for years now. Jude had earned it, and then some.


	14. Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four members of the team make a big mistake.

**January 18th, 2015**

It had taken a lot of insistence and even more begging, but Yosuke had eventually convinced Naoto and Kanji to take him to the prison the very next afternoon. He'd had to confess to an inability to sleep the night prior, and had to promise them that he'd stay back behind them, no matter what happened... but they knew as well as he did that the promise was probably hollow. After practically getting on his knees and begging, though, they eventually caved, and Naoto made a call to Chie, telling her to meet them at the gas station so that they could go.

They told everyone else, too. Mostly everyone else, anyway. Yosuke didn't really know how to tell Jude, especially with how upset he'd gotten at the mere mention of the whole situation the night prior. Jude hadn't slept a lot either, and they'd spent most of the night talking about what was making him quite so anxious. It was the same thing that he'd felt two years ago; a selfless concern for Yosuke's mental state and what seeing Souji again would do to him. For that reason, Yosuke felt a little bit guilty about his deceit. But if Jude knew that they were going today? Well... it wouldn't be good for him. He'd spend the whole day miserable and worrying about them, and working at the hospital like he was already misery enough for him as it stood. Or at least it was easy to tell himself that.

Before they'd left, Yosuke had pleaded with Rise both to keep him distracted today not to tell him that it was happening that day. It was hard for her, he could tell. She and Jude told each other everything. But reluctantly, and more than likely for the same reason Yosuke himself was fully aware of, she told them that at the very least, she'd try. In the same breath, though, she reassured them that she wouldn't go out of her way not to tell him, that if he asked, she wouldn't lie. That, Yosuke could agree to. Temporarily omitting truths was one thing, but he couldn't ask her to lie outright. Still... the guilt didn't go away, and he spent the whole hour-long ride to the prison trying to think of ways to break it to Jude when they got home, if he didn't already know by then.

_What'd I do today? Oh, you know, I spent the day with my convict of an ex-best friend who almost killed you, while you toiled away and probably worried about me. And tried to make sure that you didn't find out. Sorry about that._

He could almost see the betrayed look on Jude's face, the sadness at not being told, and for the first time since Naoto's car took off from the police academy, he faltered, and he was tempted to ask her to turn around and bring them home. He felt Chie's gaze from beside him, and he turned to look at her.

"Hey, are you alright, Yosuke?" she asked.

Yosuke chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. "Don't know, actually. I'm starting to question if not telling Jude and ignoring my concussion to go see Souji in jail was the best idea." His voice was low, embarrassed.

Chie looked incredulous. "Starting to question?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed. "You were all too eager to go along with it, so why are you giving me that look?" It was their typical bickering; they always fell into things like this, but in a way, it was a comfort.

A comfort which faded when Chie spoke next. "Well... yeah." She bit her lip. "I wanted to come, and you guys seemed so determined to go today, so I wasn't gonna be stuck behind. But it could've waited a few more days, Yosuke. You just hit your head yesterday." Her voice was concerned.

With a frown, Yosuke nodded. "I know." He turned his head the other way and looked out the window.

"And you could've told Jude, too. He's gonna be really upset when he finds out. At least I told Yukiko."

Hearing it from someone who wasn't Rise, or hell, wasn't his own mind, really drove the point home and he frowned. "I know," he repeated, and even he could hear the dismal tone in his voice.

Chie put her hand on his shoulder. "He won't stay mad," she said.

Once more, he said, "I know," in hopes that he was closing the topic for further discussion. He felt badly enough.

She was trying to reassure him, he knew that, but the fact that she was right made it all the worse. Jude never stayed mad at him. He'd gotten mad before, though it didn't happen often and was always for good reasons; like Yosuke forgetting to lock the door at night or when Yosuke had his music on too loud when Jude was trying to sleep... but he never stayed mad. Ever. It was always two blinks, a smile, and the anger was over. The lack of anger, too, dated back to when they first met. He'd given Jude countless reasons to be mad; his lack of trust, his constant push-and-pull... Jude should've been angry a thousand times over. But he hardly ever was, and when he was it never lasted. _And here you are doing something that'll probably make him feel more betrayed than anything._

Yosuke's hand went to his pocket for his phone, and was halfway through typing a text to Jude, when the car rolled to a stop. He didn't even need to hear Naoto's mumble of "we're here," to know that they were. The text was forgotten for the time being, as he got out of the car and looked around.

The building was a huge and imposing presence in the otherwise empty area. It was dark gray, made of large bricks and surrounded in a harsh chain fence. It wasn't like he'd never seen a prison before. The crime dramas that he and Jude watched every week showed them as plain as day. But seeing a _real_ one, up close and in person like this? The building was as imposing as it was supposed to be, definitely.

And that said nothing for what it was like inside. Being inside of the prison made Yosuke feel uncomfortoable in a lot of ways. As they walked down the halls to the interrogation room that they'd be meeting Souji in, an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. It made sense, he guessed. Places like this were supposed to dissuade criminals from repeating the same mistakes, right? So... it'd probably have been more shocking if it was pleasant. Still, the only areas they'd really been through were the front desk and security, where Kanji'd had to take out all of his earrings for the time being, and Chie had been forced to temporarily give up a necklace that Yukiko had given her for her birthday. As they walked down the hall, though, it just felt... dismal. Honestly, he couldn't imagine working in a place like this.

But the uneasy feeling was for more reason than that, and he was a hundred percent aware of it. Naoto stopped them in front of the interrogation room, and Yosuke found himself staring at the door. Souji was on the other side of the door, wasn't he? Anxiety boiled in the pit of his stomach, rising and threating to spill out. He turned his head to look at the others, and when his eyes fell upon Naoto, she was looking at him intently.

"This is your last chance to turn around, Yosuke-kun. Once we get in there, we need to play it cool." Her voice was serious, but not harsh. "If you want to wait, we-"

Yosuke shook his head, trying to ignore the dizziness that threatened to take him off his feet. "No," he said seriously. "I can't." He needed answers, for more than one reason. He stepped forward and put his hand on the door, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. When he turned, he was surprised to see whose hand it was.

"Behind us," Kanji said. "That was part of the deal."

It made him feel like a child, but eventually, he agreed and let Naoto, Kanji and even Chie go first. The delay made his heart race a little more, once again, he felt like turning around and leaving. But it was too late for that now. When he got into the room, it was almost instantaneous. He saw Souji, sitting on the other side of the table in his prison orange, with his wrists cuffed, and his heart sank. But why? He knew that Souji was in prison, so why did the reminder, the visual version of driving the point home, hurt him so much?

Maybe it wasn't the reminder on its own, though. Maybe it was the way Souji was looking at him. He was looking past Naoto, Kanji and Chie, and right at Yosuke. Knowingly. Tauntingly. The same way he had inside of the TV. Yosuke frowned, and he felt himself shrinking back against his volition. The gaze was intense, and when Yosuke sat in the chair in the back corner of the room, he found himself doing anything to look away.

"I wondered when you guys would show up," Souji's voice carried through the room, as slick and calm as ever. "What about the rest of you?"

Naoto was the first one to speak, and her voice didn't sound even close to certain when she said, "w-we're not here to talk about that." When Yosuke looked at her, he could very plainly see her looking at the floor. It was obvious that none of them were as prepared for this as they'd hoped they were.

A light hum came from the other side of the table, Souji's voice filled the room, almost like a gas. "Well, don't I get to ask some questions, too? Seems fair that if you get to ask all the questions you want, I should get a couple, too." That taunting tone was back in his voice again, and Yosuke felt ill.

He was also accutely aware of exactly how much he'd come to rely on Jude in situations like this. This was usually the time that Jude would reach out and take his hand to support him, and remind him that everything was going to be okay. _But Jude's not here this time..._ he thought. And because of that, he took a deep breath, steeled himself, and then forced himself to raise his head and look at Souji on his own. The icy gaze was almost enough to make him shrink back again.

Naoto's voice pierced his thoughts. "That depends on if you plan to answer our questions or not..." Her voice was steadier now, but Yosuke could hear the shakiness in it. How was it that after so much time, just seeing Souji's face could make them all stop?

Souji chuckled once and put his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands and displaying the handcuffs plainly. "I don't think either of us are really in a good place to negotiate, Naoto," he said with a smirk. "Here's how I see things. You want answers from me. I don't get to leave this room until you guys leave. The most you're going to get are the answers I give you, so it's _my_ choice what answers you get. Isn't it? And I choose to give you as many answers as you give me." He looked beyond Naoto, at Yosuke, nonchalantly changing the subject. "You look like you've seen some tough times, Yosuke."

Yosuke's frown deepened. The anxiety that bubbled, and he kept his gaze away from Souji. "What does that matter to you?" he asked.

"I don't like seeing my things broken, is all." Souji's tone was still nonchalant, and Yosuke could almost see the expression on his face. Half-smiling, his eyes harsh. "Mathis do this to you?"

Snapping his eyes up to look at Souji and ignoring the pounding dizziness that swirled his brain, Yosuke glared. "Of course he didn't," he snapped. "You don't get to talk about him." The tone was supposed to be dangerous and threatening. It was _supposed_ to. But it came out desperate, pleading. _Exactly what Souji wanted..._

With a snort of a laugh, Souji rolled his eyes. "Tell him I said hi, would you?" His voice was sarcastic.

Before Souji could continue, Kanji slapped the table, getting everyone's attention. The sound resonated in Yosuke's head and made him feel like he was going to fall out of the chair he was in, but he was glad for the shift in attention, that Souji wasn't bearing down on him anymore. Kanji's face was fierce, and Chie's was equally as serious from a couple of feet away. Naoto sat between them, her face calmer now, even if there was still a bit of anxiety and sadness in there.

Yosuke expected Naoto to be the next one to speak, but to his surprise, it was Chie... in a voice that was far angrier than he expected it to be. "We're here to ask you about the accomplice you mentioned. We don't want the stupid runaround." She glared at him, and her confidence, her sincerity, surprised Yosuke. She'd be a good cop.

"Isn't that your job to figure out? You're the investigation team, right? And you haven't been able to figure it out yet..." Souji's attention turned to Kanji. "Pretty sure the cops wouldn't appreciate you abusing their tables, by the way, Kanji."

Kanji snorted. "Least of my worries right now," he seethed.

Naoto was obviously getting frustrated, too. Her eyes were narrowed in a slight glare, and she spoke clearly and plainly. "We need you to tell us who your accomplice is," she said.

But Souji still wasn't talking. He could hear the tapping of Souji's shoes on the floor under the table and the look on his face showed that he had absolutely zero intent to answer any questions. But maybe that was it. Maybe it was because they'd been _asking_. They'd been giving him a choice and saying that they needed the answers. They were putting the ball completely in Souji's court, and giving him all of the power in the situation. That was what people like him liked, right? Power? Control? There was only one way out of it...

"Tell us." Yosuke's voice came out more level than he expected it to. _Now_ he had the dangerous and serious tone he'd wanted all along. "Tell us who your accomplice is."

For a second, Souji's confident veneer faltered, and he looked at Yosuke in surprise. But just as quickly, he put it back and gave Yosuke a sly smile. "That's a pretty grand assumption, Yosuke. Both that I have an accomplice and that they're _my_ accomplice, and not the other way around." The grin on his face could only be described as... heartless, and it made Yosuke stop.

The words made everyone else in the room go quiet, too. Maybe it was a little much to assume that Souji was the mastermind, but it was all they had. "Does that mean that we... that you didn't commit the first two?" Kanji's voice was the most certain of all of them, but he hadn't picked up on the fact that phrasing things as questions wouldn't get them answers.

Souji was tight-lipped about it, though. Maybe it was a little bit unrealistic to expect that they'd get answers from him. Chie, having picked up on Yosuke's demand-instead-of-request attitude, spoke next. "You're at least admitting that there's someone else out there continuing what was started." She was resolute. She wouldn't leave without _that_ answered.

Snorting a chuckle, Souji rolled his eyes. "You know that. How would those two kids have ended up in there otherwise?" he asked.

Honestly, as time ticked by and they just went back and forth with questions that Souji rebutted with his own questions, Yosuke began to wonder exactly why they'd come here. He glanced at his watch. Quarter to five. They'd been here for about an hour now, and Jude was probably out of work, getting home to an empty apartment. The others were getting frustrated too, he could tell. Chie's whole body was tense, Kanji's hands were balled into fists at his sides, and Naoto had been glaring for the past fifteen minutes without pause. But Souji was still smiling. Yosuke knew why, too. Behind bars, and he still held all the cards.

Finally, about five minutes after he checked his watch, Naoto threw in the towel. "Visitation ends in ten minutes. I'm sure you're incredibly proud of yourself," she snapped at Souji in frustration, her voice a sharp echo in the room.

"Eh. Proud's a bit of an overstatement." Souji turned to look at Yosuke. "Before you go."

Why did Yosuke feel like another conversational bomb was about to be dropped? He was tempted to get up and leave, not give Souji the chance to ruin his life anymore than he already had. But something kept him there. "What now?" he asked sharply.

Souji chuckled. "Quite the way to talk to someone who only wants to inform you that your precious buddy Mathis is probably in big trouble." His voice was nonchalant, but every eye in the room was on him in an instant.

Yosuke's head spun with how quickly he looked up, but he braced himself and looked at Souji in desperation. "What did you do to Jude?" he snapped, fury coursing through every inch of him as he stood from his chair, walking up to the table and standing between Chie and Naoto.

"Me?" Souji pointed at himself. "You were with me all day. What could I have done?"

Kanji's angry voice filled the room. "What'd your _buddy_ do, then?" he asked.

But Souji didn't answer. This all but confirmed that they were right. That there was an accomplice, whoever the leader of the group was. That was good, sure. And if what they'd learned so far could be trusted, chances were high that it was Adachi. But it didn't matter. Home. He had to get home. Was Jude okay? What had they done to him? Was he even telling the truth?

"We have to leave," he said to the others.

Souji watched as they all got up and hurried to the door, a smirk on his face as he said, "not even gonna say goodbye?"

Yosuke turned before he reached the door and walked up to the table, placing his hands on it and leaning forward. "Let's get one thing straight." His voice was sharp and angry again. "Jude is nothing like you. You can ask me how I know all you want, but I do know. He's _nothing_ like you." He narrowed his eyes. "And you don't own us. You never did. You can stay tight-lipped all you want, but the bottom line is that we're _not_ yours, and we're going to figure this out without you." They would. They didn't need him anymore.

For a second, Souji's eyes danced with fury, but by the time Chie reached out to pull on Yosuke's arm and get him out the door, the easy, nonchalant look was back on his face. "Let's see how long you keep saying that, Yosuke. Better hurry and get home!" His voice echoed down the hall, as a couple of security guards went into the room to escort Souji back to his cell.

What was going on? What had they done to Jude? The return to Naoto's car seemed to take forever, even though Kanji just collected his earrings at the door and continued running to the car. As soon as he left the building, as he hurried to the car, he typed a text to Jude, asking if he was okay.

Each second that ticked by while he waited for an answer seemed like a lifetime...


	15. Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adachi shows himself.

For the whole day, all Jude could think about was the end of the day, or at least leaving work. It was a long one. He'd had to leave home at nine, and work until eight, but the texts from his friends helped. Rise was almost obsessive, in fact. Between each of his breaks, she had texted him at least five times and a part of him wondered if it was just her way of trying to keep him distracted. There was something going on; she was being nicer than she _usually_ was, which was saying something, since she was always pretty nice to Jude. It made him wonder if she was hiding something, or at the very least, covering something. The unusually infrequent texts from Yosuke were another tip, too.

On a normal day, Yosuke texted him about the simplest things. Weird customers, "subtle" hints, telling him what food sales Junes had (really not-so-subtle hints about what he wanted for dinner), everything and nothing at the same time. Today, though, he didn't get a single text, and it was definitely worrisome. He tried to ignore it, though; not to make a big deal about it and to simply go about his day like any normal one.

It was hardly a normal day in any sense, though. Uehura-san seemed slightly more ruthless than usual that day, and for most of the day, Jude felt like he was running a gauntlet. The only time he'd really had to think was his lunch break, and he spent it trying to text Yosuke. When it was over and there was no word, he sent Rise a text, asking her if something was wrong. So far, she, Teddie, Chie and Yukiko were the only ones he'd heard back from, and the text he'd gotten from Yukiko had been weird. Like she was hiding something. Even Teddie's texts were normal. _Too_ normal. Like someone was filtering them. The one text he'd gotten from Chie had seemed rushed, too. Like she was in a hurry to get somewhere.

 _Get somewhere. Could they have... could they have gone to see Souji?_ He shook his head, dispelling that thought in an instant. _No. There was no way they'd do that without telling me, right? I'm just being paranoid,_ he'd told himself a thousand times over the course of the day.

It was entirely possible that everyone had good reason for acting strangely, or for not responding to him. Yosuke was recovering from a concussion, right? So, maybe he just didn't want to look at the bright screen of his phone. But would it have killed Naoto and Kanji to give him an update? He hadn't heard so much as a whisper from them all day, either. And if things had gone wrong and they'd had to bring him back to the hospital, Jude would've known about that, too. So...

As he got out of his car at his building's parking garage, he gave himself a mental slap in the face. _Stop doubting them, Jude..._ he told himself. Maybe they were just busy, right? Maybe they just had other things to do, or something. Maybe they took Yosuke down to the police station to answer some questions about Adachi's attack or something. Still... he couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling in his stomach that something was wrong. Especially when he noticed that Naoto's car wasn't in the empty space it had been in this morning, and it was replaced by a large black SUV. He eyed it for a second, then made a face. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Ignoring that instinct, he fished his phone out of his pocket and decided to take the long way to get into the building, making his way out of the parking garage before flipping his phone to call Rise. He needed to talk to someone about how his paranoia, or else he'd go nuts.

Taking his time and letting the cool January air keep him in reality, he listened to Rise's voice as she picked up the phone. "Juuuude! What's up?"

He sighed at the casual tone in her voice. She knew what was up, didn't she? "I don't know," he said simply, not wanting to beat around the bush here. She knew more than he did. "I can't get in touch with Yosuke. You, Yukiko and Teddie are acting weird. I just got home and Naoto's car isn't in the parking garage, so I have to assume that Kanji isn't around either. I feel like everyone's avoiding me or something." He scratched a hand through his hair as he opened the front door to his apartment building.

Rise was quiet for a second, and it was safe to assume that he'd probably surprised her. He probably could've eased into it, sure, but... with the way he'd been feeling all day, it felt like being abrupt was the only way he'd get answers. "Jude..." The response was only one word, and it wasn't an answer to anything he'd said, but he hadn't really expected one.

"No. It's okay," he sighed as he started the seven floor climb to his apartment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded on you. It's just been... it's been a long day." He laughed bitterly, guilt blanketing him for snapping at Rise.

Once again, Rise was quiet for a second. "And tack on all that stuff and you probably feel like you want to explode, huh?" There was guilt in her voice. Guilt that Jude hadn't heard for a couple of years now. Adding that in with everything else, Jude was definitely sure that something was going on now.

And he was honestly starting to get worried. "Yeah," he told her flatly.

It occurred to him that this whole thing was tough on Rise. If she did have any idea what was going on, she'd never been any good at keeping secrets. Especially not from him. The way she went quiet after he responded to her question told him that she was fighting with something internally, and he felt guiltier for putting her in this position. He was about to tell her to forget it, that it wasn't that important, and that someone would tell him eventually, when he finally heard her voice on the other end of the line.

She sighed, and Jude responded with a sigh of his own. "It's alright, Rise. Really." His voice was calm. "If I'm going to get an answer from someone, I want it to be Yosuke, anyway." That was just the way they were, after all. Even if there was something wrong, if there was some deep, dark reason for the lack of communication, Yosuke would tell him eventually. _Right?_

"I'm sure he'll tell you." The tone in her voice was loaded, Jude couldn't help but notice as he fished his keys out of his pocket. It was something he _really_ wouldn't want to know, that was the gist he got from that voice.

He sighed as he opened the door, then kicked it closed behind him, with his eyes on the floor. "Listen, Rise, I'm home now, and I need to start dinner before Yosuke, Naoto and Kanji get-" When he raised his eyes to look around the apartment, he stopped abruptly.

With wide eyes, he stared at the couch... or, more the form _on_ the couch. There, just a few feet away, all slouched posture and easygoing facial expression, sat Adachi. He gave a wicked smile and made a motion with his hand, wordlessly commanding Jude to hang his phone up. He made himself comfortable and stared at Jude expectantly.

"Jude?" Rise's voice was clear.

He could have not done it. He could have stayed on the phone and told Rise what was going on. But this was Adachi he was talking about... the guy that was potentially stalking them, and the guy who'd attacked Yosuke at least twice. Who knew what he'd do to Rise if he knew that she knew? He also could have given Rise a proper goodbye, but if he didn't, if he just hung up, Rise would either think that he'd lost the call or know that something was up. Since she knew that they had good reception at their apartment, a fact that she'd marveled at once, he simply flipped his phone closed and held it in his hand.

His phone rang in his hand, Rise's ringtone—a weird dance song that Jude didn't know too well—and he felt guilty for not answering.

And now, he glared at Adachi. "What are you doing here?" The amount of venom in his voice surprised even him. He didn't know he could sound like that, honestly.

Adachi responded with a grin and an arched eyebrow. "Is that any way to greet a guest?" he asked, pulling himself up from the couch and giving a leisurely stretch. "Nice couch, by the way. I almost fell asleep while I was waiting for you." The tone was conversational, but his eyes were similar to how Yosuke had described them. Manic.

"What are you doing here?" Jude didn't back down. His fists were clenched at his side, like he was ready to attack at any second, and he kept his eyes on Adachi as he took a couple of steps closer.

Sighing, Adachi shrugged his shoulders. "You're going to have to ask me nicer than that, Mathis. I mean, weren't you ever taught manners?" He was still advancing, stepping closer slowly like a villain in a crime drama.

If he thought quickly enough, Jude may have been able to get his hand on the doorknob and leave, but both his panic and his determination to keep Adachi away from his other friends—who knew what would happen to them if he let Adachi leave this apartment, after all—kept him in place. He took a defensive posture and raised his fists, wordlessly telling Adachi not to come any closer.

"Fine, fine!" Adachi put his hands up, staying in place for a moment. "I just thought you'd want to know where your friends were. You were wondering, weren't you?"

Jude narrowed his eyes. "And what makes you think I'll believe a word you say?" He didn't loosen his posture, hands still balled into fists and eyes still furiously glaring at Adachi. His guard was up, and there was no way he was going to drop it with Adachi in his apartment. _I really hope you called the police, Rise..._ he thought.

Shrugging his shoulders, still nonchalant as ever, Adachi chuckled lightly. "Well, because they're true, for one. But also because none of them will tell you, right? I was in town and I overheard Hanamura, Tatsumi, Shirogane and Satonaka telling Kujikawa, Amagi and that Teddie guy not to tell you." He made a tisking noise with his tongue and heaved a falsely worried sigh. "Honesty between friends is a thing of the past, huh?" He leaned casually against the counter.

"Shut up," Jude seethed. Whatever Adachi said, he wouldn't believe him. He wouldn't. In his pocket, Yosuke's ringtone went off and filled the room with a soft echo of some western rock song.

Another sigh, and Adachi started took another couple of steps toward Jude. "Don't answer that." Another step or two, and he'd be right in Jude's personal space. "Gratitude is getting weaker and weaker these days, I swear." He reached into his coat and kept his hand in there for a second. "You should probably put your hands down and listen to what I have to say. I do have a license to carry a gun after all. I don't plan to use it, but you know... things don't always go as planned and everything."

Okay, so that was bad. Jude blinked twice, before lowering his hands, but keeping them in fists at his sides. "Where were they?" His voice was still angry; he wasn't going to play nice with Adachi. Not a chance.

Adachi closed in and stood in front of Jude, and Jude definitely felt a a bit of panic rising. "They went to the prison," Adachi said cooly. The explanation was enough on its own, really, but he couldn't have expected Adachi to leave it like that. "You know. To see Souji."

Jude's eyes narrowed. "They wouldn't do that without telling me." He'd had the thought himself, several times, but he refused to believe that they'd go there without telling him.

"No?" Adachi hummed thoughtfully. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've all been breaking your backs trying to find evidence to accuse m—I mean... Souji's partner, right?" The 'accidental' slip didn't go unnoticed, and Adachi's face twisted into a grin like he'd absolutely meant to put it there. "But none of you are smart enough to pin it on anyone even though you obviously have your suspects. Where else would they get their answers from?"

Unfortunately, it made sense. And unfortunately, as much as he wanted to convince himself that it wasn't true... he really couldn't blame them for wanting their answers from Souji. No, he wasn't happy that they hadn't told him... but he understood at the same time. He couldn't let Adachi see that doubt, though. He was already having way too much fun at Jude's expense right now, he couldn't give him more to prey on.

"So what?" Jude said defensively. "It's supposed to bother me? They don't have to tell me everything they do."

Adachi's chuckle flowed through the air like a puff of smoke. "You're a bad actor, kid." He shrugged a shoulder. "Better than Hanamura, though." He grinned wickedly.

Jude's fists balled even tighter. Hearing Yosuke's name on Adachi's lips made Jude feel ill for some reason. Maybe it was knowing that the doubts Adachi had caused still haunted Yosuke every day. Maybe it was just unease from the situation in general, mounting in that one instance. But whatever it was, it wasn't a good feeling.

"Leave Yosuke out of this," Jude said in an angry tone, as Rise's ringtone went off again in the background. _I'm sorry, Rise..._ She must have been worried sick.

It seemed like Adachi's tone changed in that second. "So defensive of a guy who can't even be bothered to tell you the truth!" The easy, mocking tone melted away, and bubbled up into anger, fury... this wasn't good. "I think I have every right to talk about the guy who lost me my job, don't you?" he asked, his own hand balling into a fist.

Jude snorted a laugh. "Excuse me if I don't exactly feel sorry for you," he said flatly. "If you ask me, that was more your own doing than any outside factor. You know, stalking's kind of illegal. And so is harming innocent bystanders."

"There was nothing innocent about him," Adachi snapped. "The way he stood in front of that little girl."

"I didn't realize it was a bad thing to protect a kid from a psychopath!" Jude shouted.

That probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, honestly, because in what seemed like a half a second, Adachi had closed the small distance between him and pinned him to the wall with a forearm to his collarbone. The next second, the pistol was out of his coat pocket and pressed against Jude's temple. "Listen, you little shit. You may think that you're all high and mighty, that you've got everything figured out? But you don't know the half, understand?"

Jude's heartbeat was a loud jackhammer in his chest, but he nodded once, the feel of the cold metal moving against his temple sending goosebumps throughout his whole body. He'd been in fights before, both inside and outside of the TV. He'd fought shadows with spears and claws and even saws... but he'd never faced down a real gun. Something about that was more terrifying than any shadow.

"Good." He moved the gun from Jude's temple, putting it back in his pocket. Slowly, calculatedly, he placed the hand that had just been holding the gun around Jude's throat. "Just to be clear, I really don't _plan_ to kill you. Not here, anyway. But you know what I said about plans." The other hand joined the first, and he started pressing down around Jude's throat, lifting him up the wall so that his feet no longer touched the ground. "I want you to deliver your friends a message for me. Can you do that?"

At first, Jude didn't answer. All he could focus on was how he was unable to breathe... and how terrifying it was. Between that and the pain of the pressure of Adachi's hands around his throat... all he could really bring himself to do was kick out against his attacker in an attempt to get him away. He felt his foot make contact with Adachi's shin, but all that earned him was the temporary loss of one hand from his throat and a backhand punch across the face. "Cut that out right now!" Adachi's voice roared through the apartment, and the wandering hand clasped back around his throat. "Now can you _deliver_ the _message_ for me?"

Jude just nodded, his hands on one of Adachi's wrists, desperately trying to free himself from Adachi's grasp. But he made no headway.

"Good, now we're getting somewhere." Adachi released his throat, then pulled the gun back out of his pocket. "And don't get any crazy ideas about using that hi-ya-karate, either, because I'm ready for you."

Jude collapsed to the ground, then pushed himself up to all fours, desperately gasping for air to fill his empty lungs. His throat burned and his neck had that dull ache of a wound that would eventually bruise. His cheek throbbed, too, with the ache of the backhand punch. He felt the blood trickling down his jaw, too. Adachi was talking in the background of his desperate attempt to get air into his lungs, but he couldn't focus on listening.

And it seemed like Adachi caught on. "Hey!" Accompanying the shout, he delivered a hard kick to Jude's ribs. "Pay attention! This is important!" he snapped.

As he fell over onto his side, he cried out in pain, curling into a ball. Desperately, however, he tried to tamp back the instinct to cry. He _couldn't_ let Adachi hear him cry.

"Are you listening to me?" Adachi asked.

Jude nodded.

"Good. You'd better be. All I want you to tell your friends is that if they want to talk? You all know where you can find me. And that I'll be waiting."

Once again, Jude didn't speak up. Mostly because he didn't know what to say. He felt another kick, sprawling him out flat on his back, and then Adachi pressed his foot into Jude's now-exposed shoulder. "Can you do that for me? It's kind of an important message, Mathis."

Jude hissed in pain, but nodded in response to the question. "Y-yes!" he shouted. "Yes..." The repetition wasn't necessary, but he needed to get Adachi off of him.

The sound of sirens flooded the area, and Jude wondered if Rise had been suspicious and called the police. Passing cops weren't uncommon in Okina, more common than in Inaba, anyway, so he couldn't be sure, but it seemed like Adachi didn't want to take the chance. With a twist of his foot against Jude's shoulder, he stepped away, and headed for the door. "Don't keep me waiting too long, either. I can be kind of impatient."

From Jude's pocket, Yosuke's ringtone filled the room again. As soon as the door closed behind Adachi, Jude fished the phone from his pocket with the arm that wasn't throbbing with pain.

"Y-Yosuke..."


	16. Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke spends the better part of the ride home on the phone.

"He didn't answer when I called, either." Rise's voice came through the phone, and he could hear the sound of the air whipping around the vehicle she was in. "So Teddie and I went to get Yukiko and she's driving us to your apartment right now. You guys just left Nojiri, right?"

They had. Which meant that it would be at least an hour before they were home, at least if Naoto obeyed traffic laws.

"Yeah," Youske replied. His stomach had never felt this twisted before. "So I'll be there in an hour or so." Although, as soon as he said it, he felt the car speed up a little bit. Naoto was driving faster now. "Maybe less..." he added as an afterthought.

Rise sighed. "I don't like this, Yosuke. Jude never hangs up on people, and the way he went quiet in the middle of the sentence like that..." Her voice mirrored Yosuke's thoughts, and the sinking feeling in his stomach grew.

He swallowed thickly. "I know. And combine that with what Souji said..." he trailed off. He hadn't said anything about it before, but with everything that was happening... Rise should know. Her silence was better than any question, and Yosuke found himself continuing. "He said... he told us that going out there was a mistake, because Jude was in trouble." Or something like that. Remembering the words exactly was hard, when all he could feel was panic.

"Wh-what?" Rise asked. "Yosuke, you should-"

He cut her off. "I know, okay? I know we shouldn't have gone today, and I know I should have told him. I know... I feel bad enough, so please..." The guilt and worry and everything swirled around in his still-recovering head and made him dizzy. _Damn it..._ he thought. Another way that, just like he'd promised, Souji was still haunting them.

Rise scoffed. "That's not what I was going to say! I was going to tell you that you should try calling him again. We're stopping to pick up Ken-kun and Elly-chan on the way." Her tone was serious.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

After a couple seconds of silence, she hummed an affirmative response. "If they're a part of the team, we should bring them with us. I think they'd feel worse if we didn't, you know? If they found out tomorrow that we went without them... and besides, they're safer with us than they are at that house. What if Adachi goes after them?"

Okay, Yosuke had to concede to that point. "Yeah," he agreed.

She sighed. "Besides, don't forget that Naoto, Kanji and me were only two years older than them when this whole thing started, Yosuke. So telling them that they're not old enough isn't really fair." They seemed to all be in the same place as far as that point went.

"I know. Alright," Yosuke agreed with a sigh, swallowing thickly and closing his eyes. "Just... just get there as quickly as possible, okay? I'll call Jude and tell him you're almost there, and that we're on our way."

Rise paused for a second, before saying, "okay," and then, "but don't be so hard on yourself, Yosuke. This isn't your fault. Not all of it." This time, her tone was gentle, encouraging and understanding. It was surprising, especially with everything that was happening right now, to hear encouragement from any of them. He definitely didn't feel like he deserved it, either.

With a hurried goodbye, Yosuke stared down at the phone. He probably should have been raring to call Jude, but there was a bubble of dread in the pit of his stomach. Rise didn't blame him, no, but what about Jude? What had even _happened_ to Jude? He was afraid to know. _What if I can't get in touch with him? What if he's..._ What if he was dead now, or somewhere that no one would find him, because Yosuke and the others hadn't been home to stop whatever had happened from happening? _Jude... please be okay..._ he thought.

Chie's voice permeated his thoughts. "Is Yukiko with them?" There was worry in her voice.

Yosuke nodded. "They're on their way to Okina right now, but they're going to pick Elize-chan and Ken-kun up on the way there. They'll still be there before we are." He swallowed nervously and stared at his phone, with Jude's number on the screen, his thumb over the send button. Before he could talk himself out of it, he hit send and waited. One ring, and Yosuke stared out the window as the snowy plain passed them by. Two rings and his eyes went back inside, staring at the back of the seat in front of him. Three rings and the worry bubbled more, thicker, stronger... _Please answer, Jude..._ Four rings and...

"Y-Yosuke..."

The swell of relief Yosuke felt when Jude finally answered his phone was quickly stamped out by the way Jude's voice sounded when it came through the receiver. Hurt, worried... scared. He'd heard Jude sound like each of those things individually, but never all at once, and it swelled up a giant balloon of fear in Yosuke's chest that he wished a long time ago to never feel again. Souji's threat flitted through his mind and he felt panic rising at the thought of what could have possibly happened.

"Yosuke?" Jude spoke again, this time uncertain could be tossed into the mix of 'how he sounded.'

Oh. Right. He should say something. "Jude?" he finally replied, and even he could hear the panic in his own voice. "Are you okay?" It was a stupid question. He didn't sound anything close to okay. How could he be okay?

The sigh on the other end of the line, followed by the rustling of movement didn't answer his question. But after a few seconds, Jude finally answered. "I'm... I'm fine." It was obviously a lie. But he hadn't expected any other answer, if he was being honest with himself.

Chie and Kanji stared at him from the back seat and passenger's side, respectively, and when he glanced across the front seat, he caught a glimpse of Naoto's eyes on him in the rear view mirror. They were all worried, obviously. "Did something happen?" Yosuke asked. The question let on to his disbelief that Jude was okay, and he was sure of that fact, but he didn't care. He knew something had happened.

Jude was quiet for a few seconds, and in the silence, Yosuke heard shuffling movement in the background. "Yeah," he finally answered. "Yeah, something happened." Jude's voice was scratchy, like he had a sore throat or something, and Yosuke wondered why. He wondered if it had anything to do with why he was so quiet, with what had happened.

Honestly, the way Jude was answering him made him wonder if maybe he'd found out where they were. He swallowed nervously. "What happened...?" he asked.

A hiss of pain came through the phone. "Adachi broke into the apartment." Those words made Yosuke freeze. "I got home from work, and he was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. Or you. One of us..." Jude grunted, and the sick feeling in the pit of Yosuke's stomach grew even stronger.

"Adachi..." he muttered. 

Chie's eyes widened. "Adachi?" She blinked a couple of times, and stared at Yosuke expectantly.

But really, Yosuke didn't care about giving her answers right now. All that mattered was whether Jude was okay or not, which he obviously wasn't. He'd answer her later. "What... what did he do?" It was one of those questions that equal parts of him did and didn't want an answer to.

Jude went quiet for a second, and when he spoke, he didn't give an answer. "I don't..." He trailed off, then spoke up again. "When are you going to be home?" There was something else in Jude's voice now. Sadness.

Yosuke cast his eyes down and then closed them, guilt bubbling up with the worry. "About forty-five minutes. Rise, Yukiko and Teddie are on their way there. They're picking up Ken and Elize on the way. We were worried when you didn't answer the phone and Rise was freaked out with how the call with her ended, so..." he trailed off.

"How was he?" Jude asked.

The question took Yosuke off guard, and he raised his head quickly. "Huh?" he asked.

Jude sighed. "How was Souji?" he asked. "That's where you were, right?" The sadness was still there. He heard movement in the background, and another hiss of pain.

With a frown, Yosuke swallowed thickly. Jude knew. "I'm... I'm sorry..." he muttered. Yeah, he was definitely glad that he couldn't see Jude's face right now.

"Don't," Jude stopped him. "Don't worry about it, alright? I can't say I'm happy that you tried to do it all behind my back, but we'll talk about that part later. I don't... I really don't want to talk about it right now." He grunted in pain. "Did you find anything out, at least?"

And that was the worst part of it all. Through the betrayal and going behind Jude's back... they didn't know anything more than they did before. "No." He wanted to hide the disappointment, he did. But with everything going on, how was he supposed to? "What did Adachi do to you?" He'd asked the question earlier in the call, but Jude hadn't answered. Honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

He heard Jude sigh on the other end of the phone, and then he went quiet for a few seconds. "He roughed me up a little bit. Probably bruised my ribs and punched me in the face. Tried to choke me, and... and he put his gun to my head. If a pair of cops hadn't happened to pass by at just the right time, I don't know what would have happened... he said he wasn't going to kill me, but..." The silence that came after that made Yosuke's panic rise higher. His gun. To Jude's head. _He almost killed you..._ he thought to Jude, lowering his head again and swallowing thickly. _If not for some passing sirens, he might have..._ Selfishly, all he could think of right then was that he'd almost lost someone he loved _again_ , but he quickly snapped himself out of it. Now wasn't the time for selfishness. Jude was obviously in pain, Yosuke could tell that from the sound of his voice, but he also must have been terrified. Another pang of guilt surged through him like an electric jolt. Before he could speak, though, Jude continued. "He said some things, too, but I don't really want to get into that until everyone is here." 

He'd said some things? What kind of things? The question was on the tip of Yosuke's tongue, but he didn't ask. Instead, his guilt surged forth into an apology that didn't even cover half of how badly he felt. "I'm sorry, Jude." He swallowed thickly and bit his lip.

"Don't, please." It was the second time Jude had tried to stop Yosuke from apologizing, but what else was he supposed to do? "I know why you did it. I don't like it, but I know why."

It was Yosuke's turn to go quiet. If he had been home, if they'd been home... they could have prevented this from happening. Jude wouldn't have been _attacked_ , and none of this would have gone down. "But if I'd stayed home..." He trailed off.

Somehow, even when it should have been the other way around, Jude found it in himself to try and ease Yosuke's mind. "If you had stayed home, he probably wouldn't have attacked at home, because Naoto and Kanji would have been here, too. He might have gotten me in the parking garage. Or even worse, he might have gotten one of the others. Then who knows what would have happened?" Despite the haggard, scratchy sound of his voice, his words were gentle and sincere.

But they didn't do a damn thing to make Yosuke feel better. "We knew you shouldn't have been alone, but I..." he trailed off.

It sounded like Jude was going to respond, but instead, he heard a knock on the door, and Jude's voice was faded when he asked who was there. When Rise's distant voice came from behind the door, Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief. The others were there. Jude wasn't alone anymore, and he wasn't in as much danger if Adachi decided to come back.

"The others are here," Jude said.

Yosuke wet his lips before he responded. "Good. I'm glad..."

In the background, he heard the three girls and Teddie gasp. _"What happened, Jude-san?"_ Ken asked, and was Yosuke's guilt not so all consuming, he might've been amused that a thirteen-year-old boy was the one out of the group to ask the question. _Just how bad did Adachi "rough him up"...?_ Yosuke asked himself.

"I'll tell you all in just a second," Jude promised. "Yosuke, I-"

"I know. I'll see you when I get home, okay?"

Jude breathed a quick sigh. "How long?" he asked. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Yosuke could swear that he felt the hidden _I want you here_ in the words.

 _But why would he want you there? This is your fault..._ his brain taunted. Yosuke looked around them for any kind of familiar landmark. The tiny corner store and playground that they always stopped at on trips out of town caught his attention, and he was instantly unsatisfied with the distance. "H-half an hour." Too long. He needed to be there. If there was even a chance that Jude wanted him there, he _needed_ to be there. "If you need to, you can call me back. For anything, alright?" Yosuke would've honestly felt better if they stayed on the phone for the whole rest of the ride home, but he knew that it didn't make a lot of sense. The others would keep Jude safe, anyway.

"I know." His voice was quiet. "Thanks."

Yosuke frowned at the gratitude. _I don't deserve it..._ he thought. "I'll see you soon." 

"Yosuke?"

He paused. "Yeah?"

"I... I, um..." Jude stumbled, then trailed off. After a couple of seconds, his voice came through the phone, still scratchy, hesitant and stuttery. "N-nothing. Never mind. I'll... I'll see you when you get home. Bye..." And before Yosuke could respond, Jude hung up the phone.

Yosuke blinked a couple of times and looked at the phone in his hand. _I what...?_ he asked himself, his eyes going to Naoto in the driver's seat. "Is there any way you can get us home faster, Naoto?" he asked.

He knew it was an unfair question. Naoto was about as lawful as people came, but damn it, he needed to be home with Jude right now. Faster than half an hour. Naoto looked at him in the rear view mirror, and much to his surprise, she nodded and stepped a little harder on the gas pedal. "I'll do what I can without getting us pulled over, okay?"

That was good enough for Yosuke, for now. Kanji turned around and looked at him. "You alright, Yosuke?" he asked.

"I'm not the one you should be asking about..." Yosuke responded seriously.

Kanji snorted an annoyed sound, and shook his head. "We'll have plenty'a chance to ask Jude. So, I'll ask you again. You okay?" His tone was gruff, but not uncaring.

"Not really." The answer was a lot simpler than what was going on in his head, but it was as much of an answer as he really wanted to give right now. _You never should have left._ That same cruel, tormenting part of his brain that always seemed to know when he was already feeling doubt spoke up once again. He knew that he shouldn't have left. And because he did leave, Jude almost got killed. Because, once again, he listened to that part of his brain that was still consumed by Souji's betrayal, he'd almost lost everything. He'd almost lost Jude. _I almost lost another person I love..._

He felt Chie's supportive hand on his shoulder. "I-it'll be okay, Yosuke."

Naoto nodded her agreement. "Don't take the whole blame on alone, Yosuke. We all had a part in this." Her tone was probably supposed to be comforting.

But Yosuke didn't feel comforted. They wouldn't have gone along with any of this if he hadn't insisted on it, but here they were, trying to share his blame. It wasn't fair to them, at all. He leaned his head back against the headrest, looking out the window. Sometimes he could swear that he really was going crazy, because no sane person would be going through all of this. _I wonder if I'll ever be sane..._ he thought, as he anxiously awaited his return home.


	17. Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two important conversations take place.

Whatever Yosuke had expected to see when he got home, this wasn't it. Jude was sitting on the couch, with Rise and Yukiko on either side of him, and an ice pack on his face. Teddie was in the kitchen with Ken and Elize, cleaning up a couple of dinner dishes, and as soon as the door opened, every head in the room snapped to look. It only occurred to him right then that he probably should have knocked, but knocking on the door of his own apartment was unfamiliar to him. As everyone said their hushed hellos and gave panicked questions as to whether Jude was okay, Yosuke stayed silently in place, and the guilt that had been bubbling up finally culminated and boiled over.

Every iota of his being wanted to walk over to the couch, scoop Jude into his arms and apologize until his lungs were sore. Fear, though, kept him in place. Fear of what Jude would say, fear that he'd be turned away, fear that he'd hurt Jude... _Just like that, we're back at square one, aren't we?_ he asked himself. All the progress they'd made, and here Yosuke was, completely nervous to even walk up to Jude. _You've really done it now, haven't you?_

As Yosuke berated himself, Jude held the ice pack to his cheek. He was probably covering the punch he'd mentioned, but that did absolutely nothing to cover the harsh purple-red marks on his neck. Marks that looked like they'd be fire hot to the touch; marks that must have hurt Jude like scalding burns. They shone like a bright beacon, drawing Yosuke's eyes and taunting him. _Choke marks. Your fault..._ Yosuke thought, blinking his eyes from where he still stood in the door. If he hadn't believed Jude before, about how close he'd come to death tonight, that would have driven the point home. As it stood, though, it served to knot up his stomach and make his head a little bit dizzier. Guilt wasn't an altogether unfamiliar feeling, no. He'd felt it a few times in his life... but never like this.

Honestly, he hadn't even moved from the doorway, but after a few seconds, he heard a small voice from in front of him. "Yosuke-san?" Elize stood in front of him, the purple doll in her arms as she looked up at him with wide green eyes.

Yosuke blinked a couple of times to bring himself back into reality. He was still in the doorway, and he still had his coat on. Clearing his throat, he looked down at Elize. "Oh. Um... hey, Elize-chan," he said, trying to keep an air of calm in his demeanor. "Thanks for coming to take care of Jude."

She smiled a sad smile and nodded her head. "Shouldn't you come in and sit down? You just bumped your head yesterday, right? So, you shouldn't be on your feet..." She turned her attention to the couch, and Yosuke's attention followed. Yukiko had cleared out of the seat beside Jude, leaving it open for him.

He swallowed nervously. "R-right..." he mumbled. 

Honestly, he didn't expect Jude to meet his eyes or anything when he sat down. Jude should have been twice as angry with him as he was with himself. But as soon as he slid into the seat next to Jude, he felt the familiar warmth of Jude's body as he slid closer. _Why?_ Yosuke asked inwardly. He turned to look at Jude, who was looking at him with those familiar kind eyes. _I don't understand..._ he thought.

The arm on the opposite side, the one facing Rise, was hanging in the sling that Jude kept in their medical closet, and with Jude so close, Yosuke could feel the ridges of medical wrap around his ribs. _When we find you, I'm going to..._ His inner threat to Adachi was interrupted by the feeling of Jude's hand grabbing his. There was none of the usual hesitation in his movement, and Yosuke's head turned to look at their joined hands. Despite the fact that they weren't alone, Yosuke entwined their fingers and met Jude's eyes. He blinked slowly, and bit his lip. He needed to apologize. When they were alone.

"So, um..." Rise spoke up from the other side of Jude. "I hate to be the one to ask this, but did you guys... did you find anything out?"

Teddie settled onto the floor in front of Rise, and Elize and Ken sat on the other side of the table, next to Kanji, who shook his head no. "He didn't say anything, other than..." he looked at Jude, "other than telling us that something happened to Jude." His eyes fell to his hands apologetically.

"Actually, he made a show of it," Chie said, from where she sat on the floor in front of Yukiko. "Everything he said sounded like something straight out of a cop movie."

Naoto nodded her agreement. "He baited us and taunted a response to everything we said, and he only revealed the information about... about Jude's attack... right before we left." She paused, pushed some of her hair behind her ear and said, "It was almost like he was buying time. Making sure that we were distracted."

Jude frowned and looked away.

Likely sensing his discomfort, Yukiko's calm voice attempted to lighten the mood. "At... at least it confirms that we were right, right? About Adachi-san being the one he was working with..." her eyes turned to Jude, who gave a single nod.

But hell, Yosuke would have much rather have been wrong about Adachi than make Jude deal with what he was dealing with right now. He stared at his best friend for a minute, wishing that they didn't have to talk about this right now so that he could give the apology that he desperately wanted to give; the apology that Jude deserved. Once again, his eyes went to their entwined hands. How in the hell could Jude still do this? How could he still care about Yosuke after this?

It was Ken who broke the silence that had filled the room. "I always got a very strange feeling around him. Even before all of this." He turned to look at Elize. "Elize, do you remember when he came into school and did that assembly thing about the police department?" he asked her.

Elize nodded her head yes. "All of his responses were real immature. When they asked him why he was a cop, he said something like... 'because it's cool,' or something like that." She scrunched her nose. "And then when I asked him what his favorite part about being a cop was, he said it was all the cool tools and stuff he got to use. Like his handcuffs and all the CSI equipment and his gun..."

Yosuke felt Jude flinch a little bit at the mention of the gun, and without even realizing it, he squeezed Jude's hand in support.

"But he always just sounded stupid. Like a lazy detective," Teddie pointed out. "Up until all this, nothing about him seemed _bad_. Just stupid."

Sighing, Naoto nodded. "Sometimes those types of people are the most dangerous. They lull you into a false sense of security with their inept attitude, and then that's when they strike." She looked at Jude now, a bashful look of apology on her face.

He gave her a weak smile. "It's okay," he reassured her. "I also... he said something." He swallowed thickly, and flinched as soon as his throat moved. The whole area was probably sore. "He told me that if we wanted to find him... we knew... that we knew where he'd be." He pressed his lips together and squeezed Yosuke's hand.

"Do you think he meant the TV?" Yosuke asked, his eyes wide as he looked over at Jude. "That he actually can go in?"

Jude nodded. "I don't know. Maybe. Probably?" He blinked a couple of times and looked at the table.

Chie's eyes were wide. "Adachi-san has a persona..." she mumbled.

"Maybe," Naoto corrected her. "We don't know if that was what he meant or not yet."

Jude shrugged, and then winced almost immediately after, like it hurt. "He told me that he wouldn't wait forever, but... if it _is_ the TV world... he can't get out easily unless he goes in from Junes, can he?" he asked. "So we have time..." He wet his lips and glanced over at Teddie.

With a shake of his head, Teddie shrugged. "He would need a shadow like me to help him. Or, maybe not like me, but they'd at least have to be willing to lend him a paw," he explained with a one-shouldered shrug.

Everyone was quiet, but the next one to speak up was Ken. "But, do we know that that's impossible?" he asked. "Do we know that there are no other shadows out there like Teddie?" It was an innocent question, but one that raised about a hundred more.

Honestly, Yosuke didn't even remember when they'd told Elize or Ken that Teddie was a shadow, but he figured that it must have been one of the others, or else Teddie probably wouldn't have been so willing to just open up about it like that. He'd gotten a lot better about his discretion when it came to things like that; Yosuke had to figure that it was Rise's influence. That didn't matter right now, though, because it was a really interesting thought, and it was obvious that the lot of them were thinking about it right then.

Yosuke looked at Teddie, who shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he said seriously, with his eyes on Ken. "I bear-ly know how I am the way I am, so I don't know if other shadows could do it, too." It still bothered Teddie, sure, but he didn't show that right now. Now wasn't the time.

"So... what do we do?" Yosuke tried to keep the sadness and guilt that he was feeling out of his voice. "Should we just jump in and go after him?"

Every instinct he had was telling him to do just that. Seeing Jude the way he was, knowing that Adachi had almost killed him... it was hard to ignore that instinct. But this was different from last time. Not only was Jude hurt, but Yosuke was still recovering himself. That didn't change that Yosuke wanted nothing more than to chase Adachi into the TV and make him regret ever touching Jude, though. He looked to Naoto for the answer to the question, because it was easy for him to recognize that his judgement was muddled right now.

Naoto didn't hesitate. "We should wait. At least a few days," she said seriously. "The two of you are still hurt, and we can take the chance to prepare. Something tells me that the situation isn't as simple as he wants us to think it is, or else he wouldn't have told us to meet him there." Her tone was suspicious.

With a nod of agreement, Rise looked from Naoto to Yosuke. "Teddie and I can check inside the TV tomorrow morning and see if we can get a gist of what's going on in there. If something is the same or if he's just trying to disarm us." Both of those were distinct possibilities, of course.

"Kanji and I will go with them," Naoto told them, with a glance back at Yukiko, who was nodding. "Just in case things in there are too dangerous for them to go alone."

Chie looked at Yukiko, then back at Yosuke. "And Yukiko and I will stay here with you guys, just to make sure that someone is taking care of you." She turned her attention to Jude, who looked like he wanted to object, and shook her head no. "Don't even try to object, Jude. I can take a couple days off." Her tone left no room for argument.

Yukiko nodded. "And Kasai-san can run things for me for a couple of days," she said. 

After glancing at Elize, Ken looked at the group of them. "What about us?" he asked.

Elize nodded. "I don't wanna just sit there while you guys are looking into stuff and protecting each other." Her eyes were serious.

Everyone went quiet for a second. What could they do? They had school and it wasn't like they could just waltz into the TV in the morning like everyone else could, was it? But no sooner did the question flash through Yosuke's mind, than Ken spoke up. "Instead of Yukiko-san and Chie-san staying here to take care of Jude-san and Yosuke-san, we can stay instead."

The suggestion seemed to take everyone completely off guard, except for Elize, who was sitting next to him and nodding. "Yeah. The next couple of days at school are assembly days that we can totally miss, so we can stay here and cook meals for them, and make sure they're okay. It'll be fun!" She smiled at the group of them.

"Are you sure?" Chie asked. "Do you think you'll be allowed?"

Ken nodded. "Kei-sama doesn't generally care what we do." His tone looked a little bit disappointed when he said that, but he quickly wiped it off and looked at Jude. "Is it okay? If we stay here?" he asked.

Jude blinked a couple of times, and before he answered, he stood up, sliding his hand out of Yosuke's. "I... if you want to," he said quietly. He sounded frustrated. Upset. Not that it was unreasonable for him to feel like that. Yosuke got it. "But... but I still think you should get permission, first. I'll be right back..." Without passing a glance to anyone else in the room, he walked out the front door to the apartment.

Yosuke just stared after him, at the door, blinking a couple of times.

"Did I... did I say something wrong?" Ken asked.

Turning his head back to look at Ken, Yosuke shook his head no. "No, you didn't." Whatever Jude was angry about, it had nothing to do with Ken. It couldn't.

Elize bit her lip. "Does he not want us to stay?" Her tone was shy, like when he'd first met her, all over again.

Rise spoke up this time. "I don't think it's that either, Elly-chan. I think... I think he's just really stressed out right now." She turned to look at Yosuke, and bit her lip. "Yosuke, will you go check on him? We'll wait here until you get back..."

Yosuke stared at the door and blinked a couple of times. Would Jude even want him to follow? He was obviously really frustrated, the whole situation was definitely bothering him and it wasn't hard to understand why. So, did Yosuke really want to follow him and poke at that? Honestly, right now, it seemed more reasonable that Rise should be the one to follow. But they were all looking at him expectantly, and with all those eyes on him, Yosuke couldn't refuse.

 _Besides,_ he thought, _Jude would do the same for you in half a heartbeat, and you know it._

"Yeah," he agreed. "Alright. Just... just wait with Ken and Elize, and I'll be right back."

After he stood, Yosuke walked to the door and paused, grabbing Jude's winter jacket from the coat rack. At the very least, it could serve as a buffer, right? But as soon as he opened the front door to the apartment, he realized that he wasn't a hundred percent sure where Jude had gone. He eyed his surroundings for clues, and paused when he saw that the door to the building's rooftop was slightly ajar. Jude did like the roof. He breathed a deep sigh and steeled himself, before walking over to the door, pulling it open and ascending the short staircase to get to the roof.

Maybe they'd get their chance to talk a little sooner than Yosuke expected.

When he pushed the door open, he saw Jude standing a few feet away, staring out at the lights of Okina and hugging his arms to his chest. It was probably equal parts because he was in pain, and because it was cold. He approached slowly, and he saw tense a little at the sounds of boots crunching the snow.

"It's just me," Yosuke called. "I brought your coat."

Jude relaxed a little bit, and then hummed a response. "Might be kind of tough to get it on right now, since I can't lift my shoulder." he joked weakly. His voice was still a little scratchy.

Yosuke stepped up behind him and gently draped the fleece pea coat over his shoulders. His hand stayed on Jude's good arm, and he chewed on his lip. What was he supposed to say right now? Well, for starters... "What are you doing out here, anyway? Did Ken upset you?" He'd told Ken that he hadn't, but that didn't necessarily mean that it was true.

With a hum of denial, Jude frowned. "My timing probably wasn't great, was it? No, it wasn't that. I'll have to apologize to him later." He wet his lips.

"Then what was it?"

Jude shrugged his good shoulder. "Literally all I've been able to think about since you got back is getting the chance to talk to you. I haven't been focused on anything anyone was saying," he admitted. "I was with it enough to participate, but..." he trailed off.

Oh. "Me too..." Yosuke admitted. But with that said, his impatience was definitely laced with some anxiety. How did he start this? _Apologize first. You owe him that..._ "I'm sorry, Jude. I..."

He caught sight of Jude shaking his head, and then turning slowly, looking up at Yosuke. "Don't, please." It was the third time he'd stopped Yosuke from apologizing, but it didn't make him feel any better. "I meant it when I said that I know why you did it. I'm upset, but I'm not mad. And I'm more upset with the situation than I am with you." 

The second distinction took Yosuke by complete surprise, and made him feel worse. "How can you not be mad? I mean I..." he trailed off, then picked up a couple of seconds later.

"I know." Jude's words were serious, and he looked up at Yosuke with kind eyes. "I know that you kept the truth from me. And it does suck. But I understand. I do. I know that Souji's betrayal has affected you for two years now, and that knowing that Adachi is doing what he's doing is making it worse. And I know waiting to get answers that might've been out there would've been harder. I mean, I'm not going to lie, I kind of wish you had waited and told me, but I understand why you couldn't."

Yosuke could feel the amazement on his face. How was it possible for someone to be that patient, that selfless? _He's always been that way, though._ It shouldn't have come as a surprise at all, but it did. Two years and the type of person Jude was still surprised him from time to time. What did he even say to that, though?

It seemed like he didn't even need to come up with an answer, because Jude continued speaking. "That's... that's not why I wanted to talk to you right now, anyway..." he muttered. In the pale light around them, Yosuke could see the light tint of pink on his face.

"Well then..."

Jude cut him off. "Let me... if I don't say this now, I have a feeling that I never will..." he mumbled. "After Adachi left, after I got off the phone with you, I mean... I thought a lot." He looked up at Yosuke, biting his lip and then pressing his lips together once he released it. "It was kind of like a delayed life-before-the-eyes moment, you know? When you almost die and re-evaluate things that you usually took for granted." He used his good hand to grab his coat and pull it tighter around him.

 _Re-evaluate?_ That word bubbled up a bit of anxiety in Yosuke's chest, and made him wonder if he _had_ , in fact, screwed things up irreparably. _Did he decide that we can't-_

His mind didn't get a chance to dwell too much, because Jude continued. "I thought about a lot of things. Talking to my dad about quitting at the hospital, going to veterinary school, things like that. But there was one thing that I kept focusing on..." he blinked and looked up at Yosuke with a shy smile on his face. "You."

Yosuke blinked. "Me?" he asked.

"I think... if I had died tonight, if Adachi had killed me... I think my biggest regret would have been never coming out and saying it. Never telling you..." Jude dashed his tongue out to wet his lips and swallowed, blinking in pain a couple of times and then exhaling slowly. "I would have regretted never telling you that... that I love you..." his voice was quiet, but Yosuke definitely heard it.

And dumbstruck didn't even begin to cover how he felt. He knew that they cared about each other pretty deeply. He knew that _he_ loved Jude, and he had kind of a hunch that Jude's feelings for him were deeper than an attraction, deeper than they used to be. In the back of his mind, he was probably aware that Jude _did_ love him. But hearing the words coming from Jude's mouth, hearing him _say_ that he loved Yosuke... it was both a good and utterly terrifying feeling. He found himself at a complete loss for words. Admittedly, he could just burst and confess his own love. That would be easy enough. But there was a stupid anxiety keeping him from saying it. He lost everything he loved. If he lost Jude...

Once again, Jude's voice derailed his thought process. "I don't expect some heat of the moment confession in return. It's like I said... I just needed you to know. It was the most important thing to me. You're the most important thing to me."

 _You're the most important thing to me._ The words replayed in his head a couple of times. The most important thing. Placing his hand back on Jude's good arm, he stepped forward and pressed their lips together. It wasn't a confession, it wasn't sharing his own feelings, no. But it was something. It let Jude know that his feelings _definitely_ weren't one-sided. He was careful with his hands; Jude was more than likely sore all over and didn't want Yosuke manhandling him, after all, but his lips were less careful. The kiss was equal parts gentle and not, and god did it feel good.

"You're the most important thing to me, too..." Yosuke breathed against his lips. It wasn't an 'I love you,' but it was damn close.

"Good." Jude smiled and kissed him softly once more. How was he able to smile, even with everything he'd been through that night?

Yosuke felt himself smiling against Jude's lips in response. The others may have been waiting inside... but they could wait just a little bit longer. As far as Yosuke was concerned... he was right where he needed to be.


	18. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team gets some answers, and a few more questions.

**January 20th, 2015**

Having Ken and Elize staying with them was actually turning out to be a lot more fun than expected. Not that Yosuke had expected it to be boring or anything, but with everything that had happened, Yosuke had honestly doubted that things would be fun at their apartment for a long while. Somehow, the two young teenagers managed to keep things pleasant and exciting. Jude seemed to be bonding with Ken, which wasn't really that surprising, considering their similar backgrounds.

What _was_ surprising was exactly how much Elize seemed to be enjoying Yosuke's company. They watched Elize's DVD box set of Phoenix Featherman R together while Ken and Jude played chess at the kitchen table, and Yosuke both did and didn't want to admit that he was actually enjoying the show a lot more than any grown man should. It probably had a lot, or at least a little, to do with the enthusiasm Elize gave off when she talked about it. ("That's kinda why I wanna help you guys," she'd said eagerly. "Feather pink is like my hero. She's pretty and strong and she always does what's right, and I wanna be like that.")

If Yosuke was honest with himself, there was something weirdly domestic about the whole situation, and it bubbled up a warm feeling in his chest. Yosuke and Jude both slept in Yosuke's room, while Elize slept in Jude's room and Ken slept on the couch. It had only been two days, but it already felt like the four of them were a weird little family. It turned out that Elize and Ken were actually pretty good caretakers, for kids as young as they were. Ken did the cooking—he wasn't quite the cook that Jude was, but he was good with simple things—and Elize did a lot of the cleaning. They would even do chores like leaving the house to get things to cook from the corner store. It was almost funny, how quickly and easily the four of them fell into a comfortable rhythm. And it was almost a shame that the group of them would have to go back home tomorrow, but they had to go to school, and they needed to get back to their lives. Their foster mother was probably suspicious by now.

Thanks in equal parts to their caretaking and the passage of a couple of days, Yosuke was feeling a lot better; he still felt a little bit dizzy from time, sure, but now he could actually be in a well-lit room, or watch TV, without wanting to close his eyes. Jude was still kind of rough looking; the bruises on his neck and ribs had taken on a brownish purple tinge, and the one on his shoulder had almost completely faded. He could do a little bit more each day, though, and today he'd actually managed to help Ken with the laundry, even though he'd protested pretty heavily.

And while the pair of them did that, Yosuke sat on the couch with Elize, trying to teach her the basics to playing guitar. Elize admitted to a fascination with music, but also to a lack of someone interested or skilled enough to teach her. ("I make up silly little songs on my own time," Elize haid said. "I just think it'd be cool if I could make up silly background music to go with them.") She held one of Yosuke's older guitars in her hands, while Yosuke held his favorite bright orange acoustic guitar in his own hands, and taught her the basics.

The girl was a fast learner. Four hours in, and she was already doing a few simple chord progressions. She listened eagerly to every word that Yosuke said, and mimicked what he did with excruciating detail. It was a good feeling to watch the excitable pride in her expression every time she got something right. It felt, to Yosuke, like a testament to his own ability as a teacher.

Just as he was about to move on to the next part of the lesson and work on teaching her to play an actual song... there was a knock at the door to the apartment. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jude jump, but he managed to keep himself calm. "I've got it..." he told all of them.

With a frown, Jude kept himself at attention where he sat, and Ken tried gently to calm him down as Yosuke walked up to the door. A cursory glance through the peephole eased Yosuke's mind, and he turned to look at the others with a half-smile. "It's everyone," he said eagerly. But the happiness faded just slightly when he saw the expressions on their faces.

It hadn't occurred to him at first, but all of them showing up like this must have meant something. Every day since Jude was attacked, one or two of them would stop by at a time, to keep the rest of them in the loop as far as the situation inside of the TV went... but all of them showing up must have meant that something happened. He knew that they were checking the TV a couple of times a day to keep tabs on what was happening inside, so... this must have meant that something had. "It's... it's everyone..." he repeated, his tone a little more somber as he reached for the door handle.

Once he pulled the door open, he stepped out of the way to let everyone in. "Hey guys," he greeted them.

The greetings everyone gave were surprisingly short. Quiet. Like everyone was feeling kind of lost at the moment. _What's going on?_ Yosuke wanted to ask, but he thought better of it for the time being. Naoto was the last one to step through the door, and the look on her face was absolutely surprising. She looked stunned, completely stone-faced as she looked up at Yosuke. Okay, what in the world had happened? It must have been something serious, if it had even Naoto reacting like this.

Jude had stood from his spot at the table, while Ken put the chess set back in the box. "Naoto?" he said softly as he walked up beside her, standing next to Yosuke but close beside her. "Guys?" He turned to look at everyone else, just blinking. Everyone had said their hellos, and they were all sitting in their usual spots; Yukiko in the recliner with Chie in front of her, Rise on the couch with Teddie in front of her, Kanji on the floor with Ken and Elize, leaving the couch open for Jude and Yosuke, and the small lounge chair for Naoto.

"What happened?" Ken's voice sounded stunned, concerned.

Elize's voice followed shortly afterward. "Is everyone okay?"

Kanji was the first one to speak up. Even Naoto looked too dumbstruck to come up with anything to say at the moment. "We, um... we found Adachi."

With a nod, Chie looked down. "He was in that room. You remember the one you and Souji and me went into the first time we fell into the TV together?" She looked up at Yosuke.

And yeah, Yosuke remembered that room. The room with the headless pictures of Misuzu Hiiragi all over it. The thought of that room haunted him a lot; it had been where this whole mess had really began for he and Chie. "He was there?" he asked, still concerned at the way everyone looked, at the way they were talking.

"But it wasn't him," Rise explained. "It was like... it reminded me of a shadow, in a lot of ways."

Teddie nodded his agreement. "It felt like it both was and wasn't Adachi," he explained. "It had his presence, but it wasn't him. It wasn't a shadow, either. It was like one, but it wasn't." He chewed his lip.

Pushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear, Yukiko swallowed thickly. "Whatever it was, though... it told us everything." Her expression was downtrodden as she spoke. "It filled in almost every blank that we've had as far as the case goes and..." she looked at Yosuke.

"And...?" Yosuke asked.

Yukiko frowned. "It was Adachi. From the very beginning, it was Adachi. Mayumi Yamano... Saki Konishi... he killed them." She looked up at Yosuke, concern in her expression as she probably realized the old wound that she was reopening.

For the moment, Yosuke was completely dumbstruck. Talking about Saki still made his stomach wrench uncomfortably, but it needed to be done right now... even if he couldn't quite find the words. It seemed like Jude could sense that, though, because he spoke up instead. "So, Souji..." He didn't complete the sentence, but he didn't need to. 

"Souji wasn't innocent," Kanji spoke up seriously. "According to this... Adachi thing, whatever it was... he found out the truth awhile back and covered for him. We all thought that maybe it was by force, that maybe he was threatening him or something, but..."

Yosuke shook his head no. "Combine the way he's been acting with everything else we know, and I don't think so." It hurt him still, to think about that, but it was definitely true. Souji wasn't the same person he used to be anymore.

Chie nodded her head. "That's what he said, too. He said that Souji was working with him of his own choice. That he was covering for him, but the only person he actually put into the TV was Jude." The fact that it would have been a far higher count if they hadn't caught him went unsaid. It didn't need to be.

With wide eyes, Ken looked at Naoto. "So, wait... does that mean that what you all said about Namatame-san is completely untrue? That he never threw anyone into the TV?" he asked.

But Naoto shook her head no. "Souji mentioned a long time ago that he manipulated Namatame. But this piece of Adachi said that it was him. He used his position on the force to put ideas into Namatame's head when he called the station, and Namatame went for them hook, line and sinker." She frowned and sighed. "We've actually known precious little all along."

"That can't be helped," Jude said seriously, looking gently at Naoto. "None of us have minds of criminals. We don't know how they think."

Though Naoto shrugged the attempt at comfort off, Elize spoke up, an expression of pure inquisitiveness on her face. "Was... did he say anything else?" she asked, looking up at Naoto again.

Naoto sighed. "It said..." She paused, running a hand through her hair and making an annoyed noise. "It told us that even if we take care of him... of the actual Adachi? There's a force bigger than him, bigger than _all_ of us, that's still out there." She breathed out, a slow, heavy sound, and looked back up at Yosuke. "I don't know if it was just trying to taunt us. I don't know if it's true. But..." She trailed off.

Yosuke nodded, frowning. "But going by our luck so far... I know." He chewed on his lip and turned to look at Jude.

Jude stared at the table in the center of the group. "Something bigger than all of us?" he asked, blinking a couple of times. "What could that mean?" He turned to look over at Rise and Teddie. "Have you gotten any kind of readings to indicate that he was telling the truth?"

With a shake of her head, Rise sighed. "No. Other than him, it's completely empty in there. I'm sorry..." She looked down and frowned.

Shaking his head, Jude put his hand on her arm and squeezed. "Don't apologize, Rise. If it is something bigger than us, we wouldn't even know what to look for. You can't be faulted for not knowing." His tone was gentle as it always was when he was trying to comfort someone.

"Do you think it's possible that the sense of danger _is_ the thing that's bigger than us?" Chie asked. When everyone stared at her in surprise, she just blinked a couple of times. "Wh-what? Don't tell me it's another accidental-Chie-hit-thenail-on-the-head moment..."

Naoto blinked a couple of times and smoothed a hand through her hair. "The possibility that the reason for the feeling of danger inside the TV world isn't because of the shadows, but because of some other overwhelming force..." With a pause, she bit her lip. "It's definitely something we hadn't considered before." She trailed off and looked over at Rise.

Humming thoughtfully, Rise shrugged. "But... wouldn't Teddie and I be able to determine that? If it was one being, I mean?" she asked.

Jude shrugged his shoulders and bit his lip. "Not necessarily. Anything with the power to create or use a place like the TV world the way they... the way it... has? It's not outside of the realm of possibility that they'd be able to muddle your Persona's senses, is it?" He didn't seem certain, but then again, none of this was certain.

A fact that Yosuke felt like he needed to remind everyone. "Keep in mind, too, that this is just Adachi's word we're going on. Actually, it's not even Adachi's word, right? It's just a piece of him, so... he could be saying everything to mess with us." Of course, Yosuke knew how easy it was to get caught up in a confession when it came. Namatame and Souji had both proven that to him, beyond the shadow of a doubt, but this time... this time, he was going to use his judgment.

At least he thought he was.

"There's one more thing..." Rise said, her eyes on Yosuke seriously. "And it pertains to the both of you."

Kanji looked at Rise seriously, his face etched in a serious frown. "I thought we weren't going to-"

But she cut him off. "I can't lie anymore. Look at what happened last time we lied to Jude, right? I just can't..." she shook her head and gave Kanji a glance that seemed to level him.

Naoto nodded her head. "She's right, Kanji." She bit her lip. "Admittedly, we were torn about whether to tell you or not. But Rise is right. We shouldn't keep any more secrets when it comes to this." She paused, long enough to sigh and smooth a hand through her hair. "He wants to see you." The statement was simple, but he definitely saw why the build-up was necessary, and he _definitely_ saw why they wanted to keep it secret, initially.

Blinking a couple of times, Jude turned to look at Yosuke. "Him? Or me...?" he asked.

"Both..." Rise answered, chewing on her lip and grabbing Teddie's hand when he reached for her. "And... and he wants to see you alone. He went so far as to close off the entrance to where he's waiting, so we can't get to him until he sees you."

Yosuke turned to look at Jude, blinking a couple of times. "He wants to see us. Alone?" It wasn't like he had misunderstood, he just needed to repeat it. To make himself understand completely.

Though Jude didn't say anything, he didn't really need to. Yosuke could clearly see the _should we?_ in his best friend's expression. It didn't seem like they had a lot of choice, though, did it? They either complied to what he wanted or they didn't get their chance, Adachi died in the TV world, his body showed up in Inaba, and everyone thought the killer was still on the loose.

"What are you going to do?" Ken asked.

With a frown, Yosuke shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think we have a lot of choice. I mean... if he closed off the entrance? We probably have to do what he wants, or else we won't be able to... you know... do anything." God, did he ever hate how they were always playing by someone else's rules, but there wasn't a whole lot they could really do about it at this point.

Except, Jude shrugged and looked at him. "We could always hit him with a one-two punch," he suggested. "We could meet with him, and have everyone waiting outside the room, so we can go in right afterward." It was made as a casual suggestion, but it was definitely a good idea.

And Naoto nodded her head. "That's a good idea. That and it allows us to be around, just in case things go wrong when you're meeting with him." She looked at the group, paused for a beat, and then said, "I suppose that only leaves the matter of when..." with a serious expression on her face.

Chie bit her lip. "Sooner would probably be better," she said seriously.

"Yeah," Yosuke agreed. "For a lot of reasons, but mostly because the last thing we want is for another dead body to show up in Inaba."

Everyone's eyes went to Jude, like he was the deciding factor, which probably wasn't far from the truth. He was the most severely injured between the two of them, and even though they were only bruises, they were in the most inconvenient places possible. Plus, it was asking a lot, asking him to face down the man who had nearly killed him so soon after it happened. Yosuke was fully aware of that, and he really didn't want to force anything. But unsurprisingly, there wasn't a hint of hesitation on Jude's face.

He nodded. "Tomorrow," he said seriously. "I feel a lot better, but the extra night would help a lot. Is that okay?"

Of course it was okay, and much to a lack of surprise from Yosuke, everyone else seemed to agree. His mind wasn't really on the situation, though. So, it was really happening, then. Years of feeling wrong around Adachi, and he was actually going to get his confrontation. The topic of conversation had shifted, thanks to Chie's usual sense of when the group of them were focusing on things they couldn't change for now, and now Ken and Elize's stay at the apartment was the focus of the conversation. His hand found Jude's, and Jude turned his head to look up at Yosuke. They weren't doing anything serious right now, but he needed that presence of comfort right now.

It seemed like Jude needed it, too.

If all went well enough... things with Adachi could be over and done with tomorrow. He probably should have felt happy about that, but all he could really feel was anxiety.


	19. Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke and Jude fall into a trap.

**January 21st, 2015**

Being in the TV both felt familiar and didn't. The surroundings themselves were familiar, sure... the TV world looked the same as ever in that sense. The same yellow surroundings, with the same sharp decor, if you could call it that; it was still the same place, but now there was an anxiety that Yosuke couldn't ever recall feeling in here. The power felt the same, it wasn't like everything was different or anything. It was still the TV world, for better or for worse, but Yosuke had never felt anxiety like this before... not even when they'd gone after Souji. It definitely wasn't a physical feeling; he still wasn't 100%, but the healing spells were definitely working to make his step just as steady as normal. It was definitely something, though. Something he felt way down in the pit of his stomach.

It seemed like Jude felt it too, and as Yosuke glanced over at him from where they walked with the rest of the group. Everyone was having their own individual conversations, but he and Jude were quiet; their minds were likely on the situation they were about to face. Jude was watching the ground ahead of him as he walked, and he hadn't said a word since they got into the TV. Part of Yosuke was wondering what was going on in his head.

Yosuke's own head was a wreck. From the beginning, it had been one pitfall after another, and every single time they thought they had things figured out, another wrench was thrown into the works. How did they know that this would be it? How did they know that Adachi was the actual culprit; that the answers they were getting were correct? How long would it be before another villain popped up and they were back in the dark all over again? They'd prevented anyone else from dying since back when Saki had been killed, but could their luck possibly hold? The thought of Saki made his mouth turn downward into a deeper frown. How many times had he thought that he'd given her the justice she'd deserved? And how many times had he been wrong? How many times _would_ he have to be wrong before things were finally resolved?

He sighed.

"Raincloud?" Jude's soft voice came from beside him, and when Yosuke looked he saw those gentle eyes on him with a concerned expression on his face. His own reflection glinted back from Jude's glasses, and yeah, he looked more like he had a full blown thunderstorm than a raincloud.

Chuckling softly, Yosuke nodded his head. "I guess so," he muttered. "I'm... this whole situation is getting harder and harder the older we get, you know?" Back when they'd been in school, enthusiasm had driven them. An honest sense of justice and the knowledge that they were the only ones who could figure it out, but now that they were adults...

Jude's light chuckle snapped him from his thoughts. "Yosuke, you're twenty. You're hardly an old man. Enthusiasm like you had when you were younger isn't 'too immature' for you. You know that, right?" he asked. His tone was gentle.

"I know," Yosuke answered. "But... that doesn't mean that it's easy. Doing the right thing is hard when it keeps throwing life-evaluating complexes at you."

With a nod, Jude moved to touch Yosuke's arm, but paused. "I can understand that," he said, putting that same hand in his pocket. What was up with that? "But it says a lot about you that you keep pushing through. That you keep doing the right thing, no matter how hard it is for you." He was quiet for a couple of seconds, before turning to look at Yosuke again with a smile, a weaker smile than Yosuke was used to. "Just remember that if it becomes too much, you can talk to me about it. Any time."

Jude had spoken those words before, but hearing them right now was a nice reminder. Still, there was something about Jude's face. Doubting. Questioning. Yosuke had noticed it several times since the mention of Adachi's version of the truth came to light, and he had to wonder what it was about.

Actually, he didn't have to wonder. He could just ask. "You've got a raincloud too, you know..." he pointed out, shrugging one shoulder. "That whole 'you can talk to me' thing goes both ways. So... hit me with it." The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile.

Jude turned to look at him, then blinked a couple of times, before turning his eyes back down to the floor. "That obvious, huh?" he mumbled, smoothing a hand over his hair and wetting his lips. "I just..." He pulled in a deep breath and looked back up at Yosuke. "Souji. I mean... he's not a murderer. If what Adachi said is true, he... he didn't actually kill anyone, and I was wondering if that meant that we... if you and I... if that changed things."

Oh. Okay, that was an understandable anxiety. "Of course it doesn't," Yosuke said seriously.

"But he-"

Yosuke shook his head. "But nothing. Even if he didn't kill anyone, that doesn't change that he covered for the killer. That he lied to us, that he betrayed everything we were trying to do, and that, however large it was, he had a hand in everything continuing." He reached a hand out, directing it toward the hand that Jude had almost reached out with a moment ago. "It doesn't change anything. Not about... this." Whatever it was. "Not about us." Whatever they were.

A little smile spread across Jude's face. "Good..." His voice was quiet, but there was relief in it.

"Was that what was bothering you?" Yosuke asked. "Since last night?"

Jude nodded his head and looked at the ground bashfully. "Part of it, anyway. I mean, everything else was definitely bothering me, too, but... but I meant it when I told you that you were the most important thing to me." He paused, his cheeks turning pink as he said, "that probably sounds really selfish, especially considering that we're doing what we're doing for the sake of everyone we know, but..." he trailed off.

With a shake of his head, Yosuke smiled bashfully. "No. I get it, don't worry. And I'm pretty sure that you don't know how to be selfish, so I don't think that, either." He grinned.

Laughing gently, Jude shrugged. "Hey, I can be selfish." His tone wasn't offended, no, and he had a wide smirk spreading across his face.

"Name one time," Yosuke challenged flatly.

Jude paused, chewing on his lip in thought. "Okay, so I don't know of one off the top of my head, but I can be just as selfish as the next guy!" For a second, there was a grin on his face, but the smile faded when he realized that they'd come to the end of the hallway, and they were standing in front of the door to Mayumi Yamano's room. "This is... it's the room. Isn't it?" he frowned.

All of the chatter around them stopped as soon as Jude asked his question, and everyone was staring at the door like it was the door to the end of the world. The irony of the situation was that, for all they knew, it actually _did_ lead to the end of the world. 

The smile faded from his face, and the amusement at the conversation he'd been having with Jude completely crumbled. He stared at the door. "Yeah. It is." Ironic that they were here now, honestly. Back where it all began.

Naoto looked at them with a frown. "For what it's worth, I have a really strange feeling about this. Just... something feels really off." She turned to look at Rise. "Can you check the area before we send them in there? I still don't feel like we should send them in alone..." she said seriously.

When Yosuke looked up at Rise, she stepped a few steps away from everyone and summoned her persona. Teddie stood a few feet away from her eyes closed and nose sniffing in that usual Teddie fashion in an attempt to help her out. Yosuke's eyes went to Jude, where he stood staring at the door. He reached out and placed his hand gently on Jude's unbruised shoulder, telling him wordlessly that whatever Adachi had planned, they'd face it together.

Jude turned to look at Yosuke, and have a weak half-smile in response to the expression. He looked at Naoto. "I don't think any of us like it..." he admitted. "But if we want to get to him... if we want to really end this? Then we have to play by his rules, right? He's not going to reopen the entrance unless we do." That didn't make it any easier, and that definitely didn't make them like it any more, but it was true.

The only response Naoto gave was a sigh, and an exasperated, "I know." She turned to look at Yosuke. "Be careful."

Yosuke frowned and he felt his eyebrows furrowing. There was something hidden behind those words, he could tell, but he couldn't quite identify it. He didn't really like it either way, though. "I know," he told her seriously. He wasn't going to jump in and do anything stupid. At least he didn't plan to.

Rise's voice broke the silence; "I don't sense anything," she said seriously. "Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. I don't even sense Adachi, but he might be waiting for you to show up." She looked up at Jude and Yosuke and frowned. "I still don't like this. Something... something feels wrong."

Nothing felt out of the ordinary, but something felt wrong. In most situations, it wouldn't have made a lot of sense, but here, in the TV world, it definitely made sense. Over here, no danger could sometimes be more dangerous than obvious danger. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that it was exactly that kind of scenario. But still, he couldn't back out now. With a glance over to Jude, he could tell that he felt the same way. They'd been called out personally. If Jude felt anything like Yosuke did, it was a matter of pride. They couldn't just ignore it.

"We'll be careful, Rise," Jude assured her, but the tone in his voice told Yosuke that he had been right, that they _did_ feel exactly the same about it.

Naoto looked up at Yosuke with a serious expression on her face. "And if anything goes wrong, anything at all, yell. We're going to wait right here." Her tone suggested that it was more of a command than a suggestion, but it was one that Yosuke was willing to comply to, at the very least.

Jude stepped forward a couple more steps and put his hand on the doorknob. Before Yosuke turned to walk into the room, he caught sight of Chie trying to peer into the room to see what Adachi had waiting for them, and was the situation not so strange, he might've laughed about that. Chie was always Chie; curious in the face of whatever was thrown at her. But when he turned around, any inkling of amusement faded. He passed his eyes across the room, a little bit confused. It looked... the same. Nothing was out of place, all of the scrawled out photos were still in the same places, and the red scarf still hung from the ceiling like a creepy omen. Glancing over it now was still as unsettling as it had been back then. Maybe a little more so now.

As he turned around to close the door, he cast his friends an apologetic look. They all wanted to be there, he was sure of it, but Adachi's rules wouldn't let them.

"Does anything look out of place to you?" Yosuke asked Jude as he turned around.

But Jude's expression was perplexed, inquisitive. "You'd probably know better than me. The only thing I know about this room is what you and Chie described to me," he pointed out.

That hadn't occurred to him before, really. This whole thing was the first that most of the team had seen of this room. It should have been part of what they did, when they got a new person. They should have brought them to all the important places, to truly get them up to speed. But the should'ves were easy to think of now.

Instead, Yosuke cast his eyes around once more. "Adachi!" he called out as his eyes scanned the room. "You said you wanted to see us, and we're here!" His voice echoed against the silence in the room, and he was sure that everyone outside could hear him as clear as a bell. But he didn't care. "Come out!" he finished.

No answer.

"Adachi!" Jude's voice rang out through the room this time. "What did you want with us?"

Jude's voice faded in an echo, and Yosuke cast his eyes around the room again. What was Adachi's game here? What was he trying to do? There was still no answer, and while Jude continued to call out, to try and get Adachi's attention, Yosuke scanned the room at closer attention.

In the very corner, sitting unobtrusively and inconspicuously, was a small chest. It rose about as high as Yosuke's hip, and it was red, lined with gold. At first glance, in Yosuke's cursory glance of the room, it hadn't looked terribly peculiar, but now he wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Had it always been here? He honestly couldn't say. In his memory, he'd never actively looked in that corner of the room, so it was entirely possible that it had always been there and he'd just never noticed it. He started toward it.

Jude's voice cuts through the silence. "I don't think he's coming, Yosuke. Do you think we should go and get..." he trailed off, likely catching sight of the chest himself. "A chest. Huh. Was this always here?"

Yosuke turned to look at him for a second, and shrugged. "I don't know." It looked a lot like the chests they found all over the place in the TV world. Not outstanding, not any different. "It's been a long time since I was here, honestly. And if it was there before, I imagine none of us would have thought to open it..." he mused.

"Should we?" Jude asked, walking up to it, leaning down a little and looking it over. "It doesn't look any different from the chests we open all the time."

And it didn't. So why in the hell were they thinking it over so much? Yosuke nodded and reached his hand down, touching the golden latch and turning it. But he stopped short. Even just touching it as he had, the swell of power coming from the small red chest was completely overwhelming. He yanked his hand back to his side like it had been burned. "Whoa..." he muttered. "Maybe we shouldn't op-"

But it didn't matter. The chest opened with a loud crack, and the accompanying release of power sent both he and Jude toppling over to the ground. When Yosuke looked back up, he noticed a huge, hulking being standing over them, towering like a titan. Its robe-like clothing was tattered, and it had chains hanging all over its body, which rattled as it moved its wisp-like arms. In its hands, it held a pair of insanely long scythes, and as it stared down at Yosuke, he couldn't help but notice the white sheet over its head that covered all but one eye. He stared up at it, completely stunned for a moment.

Jude had scrambled to his feet and come to Yosuke's side, helping him up off the ground. "That was in the chest?!" he shouted, trying to put space between them and the monster in the tiny room.

Sure, the answer should have been obvious, but how could something that enormous, that _powerful_ fit into that tiny chest? Before Yosuke could answer, the creature swung one of its giant scythes, and he and Jude both had to lay flat on the ground to get out of the way.

"Shit!" Yosuke shouted. There was absolutely _no_ way they were taking this thing on alone. "Naoto! Guys!"

No one came right away, and another swell of panic surged up from the pit of Yosuke's chest. What was going on? He looked up just in time to see the giant scythe coming down at the ground right where he was laying, and he rolled out of the way just in time. Pulling himself to his feet, he stared up at the creature. "What in the hell are you?" he shouted, quickly summoning his persona and throwing a pre-emptive masukukaja over he and Jude.

As he stared, he noticed a box of light surrounding the creature, and the giant gavel of light from Jude's familiar God's Judgement spell appearing to strike at it. "Light's no good!" he heard Jude say from a couple of feet away.

Where was everyone? _We're really going to fight this on our own?_ he asked himself. Even as he was thinking, though, he summoned his persona and swirled a garudyne around the creature, forcing it to stumble. He followed up quickly with another summon, hitting it with a tentarafoo... but nothing happened. "Panic's out!" How were they supposed to do this without Rise or Teddie?

Jude surged forth, striking at it with his fists a couple of times, before jumping back to dodge another scythe slash. "Where is everyone?" he called out. It was a valid question. They'd have come running, unless something was going on out there, too.

"I don't know, but..." Yosuke leaped back to dodge a swing, "we're running out of room!"

And it was true. The creature had them pinned to the wall now, and if they didn't think quickly, they'd be in big trouble. Jude hit the enemy with a garudyne of his own, and when it stumbled, the two of them exchanged looks and quickly ran around behind it. Before too long, though, the creature spun around, swinging its scythe along with it and once again, it was a race against space.

They were doing well, all things considered. The best they could, anyway, against a giant like this. After a flourish from Jude sent the creature reeling, Yosuke turned to cast him a congratulatory glance, only to see that familiar purple aura swirling around in front of him. _Darkness... he's weak to..._ Yosuke didn't even need another second to think.

"Not a chance!" he called out, shoving Jude to the ground with his shoulder.

The spell, which normally would have blinked away consciousness like a light bulb turning off, had no effect. He felt the fading aura of a blocking spell... but who could have cast it? Jude was on the ground beside him, only now lifting his head. It was only then that he noticed the barrage of elemental spells coming from behind him and surrounding the creature, followed by the soothing feeling of three different healing spells. He whirled around to see everyone pouring into the room and breathed a sigh of relief. Naoto was turning away from him to the creature, like she'd been the one to cast the blocking spell, and he breathed a sigh of relief. _Thanks, Naoto..._ he thought. He'd tell her aloud later. He ran up to Jude and reached his hand down to help him up.

Jude stared at him for a second, before blinking and saying, "thanks." His face was still very obviously stunned, but Yosuke couldn't help but smile.

"You'd do the same for me." Actually, he was pretty sure Jude had, multiple times. "Now let's finish this thing off, okay?" 

Judging by the expression on Jude's face, he wasn't quite sure how to feel, but Yosuke wondered if it bore any similarities to how Yosuke had felt seeing Jude facing down Ken and Elize's shadows on his own. And if that was the case, he was sure they'd be talking about it later. But now wasn't the time. It seemed like Jude understood, that, too, because he just nodded in response, and then the two of them joined the rest of the team to finish the creature off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note to say that I changed the Reaper's weapons from guns to scythes for mythology's sake!


	20. Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jude worries about Adachi's plans.

To say that Jude understood how Yosuke felt when Jude stood in front of Ken and Elize's shadows, would have been an understatement. The being they stood in front of looked like the mythological depiction of a reaper, and when he raised his head to see that purple swirl in front of Yosuke's face while he faced down what looked like a reaper was like the personification of a whole plethora of fears that he didn't realize he had.

For now, though, he had to push that thought out of his mind. He pulled himself up off the floor and rushed up to where the others were spreading out to fight, giving Yosuke a thank you on his way by and listening to his reply. Yes, he'd have done the same for Yosuke... but that didn't make it any easier to see. _Now's not the time to think about that, Jude..._ he told himself.

"Sorry it took us so long!" Chie called out, effectively pulling him from his own thoughts.

Naoto, who had just finished with the summon that likely saved Yosuke's life, covered the group of them with a reflective tetrakarn. "We were ambushed by a group of shadows out there. We heard you fighting and we turned to come in, but before we could even do anything, they rushed us."

Kanji's voice echoed through the room. "Fight now! Talk later!" he commanded.

Jude was still a little bit gobsmacked, but he shook it off and hurried up to join Chie and Kanji in their usual positions at the front of the group. Before he joined into the battle, though, he flashed him another look; part grateful, but there was definitely a part of it that was still bothered by the sight. Yosuke's responding glance was a little harder to identify, but he just gave a nod. Jude knew, of course, that it meant that they'd be talking about this later, but Kanji was right. Now wasn't the time.

With everyone together, the fight was surprisingly... not _easy_ , but easier. Their formation was interesting now. Ken joined in with the heavy hitters, since his persona was light-based, so aside from striking at this particular shadow with his spear and using his limited physical attacks, there wasn't a whole lot else he could really do. So, Ken, Jude, Kanji and Chie made up the hard-hitters. It was interesting, because thanks to the fact that Elize's persona had healing spells, alongside the darkness it specialized in, she and Yukiko handled the healing together effortlessly, so Teddie was able to join Naoto and Yosuke, as they provided support and magic from a safe distance. Rise stood in the very corner of the room, providing her same brand of support... everything seemed to be going very well. It was interesting. The kids slotted perfectly into the group, providing a little bit of attention to weaknesses they didn't realize they had.

It turned out that, with the ten of them, it was a fairly straightforward fight. There were a couple of times when they were taken off guard, like when the group of them were hit with an electricity spell and both Yosuke and Teddie were knocked to the ground, then the creature followed with an ice spell which sent Yukiko down, but Jude quickly covered the group with a mediarahan. It took a second, but eventually, all of the fallen teammates picked themselves up and rejoined the fight.

Seeing the kids fight was interesting. Ken's spear was almost taller than he was. By all rights, it didn't look like he should have been able to _hold_ it, let alone use it with the agility and ease that he was. Had Jude not seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed it. For Elize's part, even though she was doing very limited attacking at this point, she held a princess' staff, and in the rare moments when she had to physically attack, she struck at enemies with it like a club. It was interesting to see.

It took a little while, but the giant being finally fell, into that familiar puff of shadowy fog and smoke and then it disintegrated, bubbling into an ooze on the ground. Jude blinked a couple of times and then breathed out a heavy sigh. With a glance around the room, he could tell that everyone was at just about the same place as he was. 

The room was quiet for a good long time. A part of Jude was wondering if everyone was as confused as he was about what had happened. However, almost like a beacon, and with a whirring sound, a swirling red entrance portal appeared against the back wall. Jude stared at it for a second, trying to process exactly what was happening... exactly what _had_ happened.

Ken's voice was the one that broke the lingering silence. "What just happened?" he asked.

After a couple of seconds with no one answering, Elize looked up at Yosuke, blinking a couple of times. "We beat that thing, and the door appeared, what does that mean?" Her eyes were inquisitive.

Once again, everyone else was quiet for a minute. In the silence, Jude found his mind trying to come to a conclusion for that question. Adachi had called he and Yosuke there. Everyone outside had been attacked, and he and Yosuke had been attacked inside. Had it been orchestrated? It seemed both far-fetched and not at the same time.

Jude adjusted his bracers on his wrists, and then looked up at everyone. "Do you think it could have been a trap?" he asked. "Some kind of divide and conquer plan?" It made sense, didn't it? Or maybe he was just reading into it too much.

But Yosuke nodded his agreement, stepping up beside Jude. "That's what I was thinking, anyway. I probably wouldn't've thought it, but... the door appeared right after we killed it." He looked at the rest of the group. "How many shadows attacked you out there?" he asked.

"There were at least fifteen, but they were all normal shadows," Naoto said. "Still... it does seem a little bit convenient." With a glance over at the door, she sighed. "I'm sorry we couldn't get in here sooner."

Jude shook his head. "It's okay. You were dealing with something, too..." he reassured them.

Rise nodded her agreement. "But... that thing... I sensed it all of a sudden. Almost like it was out of nowhere..." she admitted.

With a nod, Yosuke glanced over at the chest in the corner. "It was in there," he admitted. "There was no way you could've known, Rise."

"Yeah, but..."

Jude shook his head no, cutting off Rise's objection. "It's okay," he told her seriously. "We're all here, and we're all okay." With a pause, he glanced over all of them. "We're all okay, right?" It hadn't occurred to him until he said that, that maybe everyone _wasn't_ okay. He could provide medical attention, if it was necessary.

"We're alright," Yukiko nodded her head. "Elly-chan is a great healer."

A giant smile spread across Elize's face, and Jude caught sight of Yosuke giving her a proud little smile. "I kinda wanted to help everyone fight," Elize admitted. "But I guess healing them is kinda doing that too, right?" She looked up at Yukiko, who smiled proudly at her.

Everyone was talking, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Naoto staring at the swirling red entrance. Jude's own attention followed, and he looked around the room. As much as he hated to interrupt the conversation between Elize and Yukiko, he chewed on his lip and spoke during a lull in the conversation. "So, what do we do now?"

Naoto's eyes were still on the entrance. "I think we should stick with our plan." The words weren't really surprising. They all wanted a word with Adachi, after all.

Yosuke's response was almost instantaneous. He turned to look at Naoto with a nod. "Yeah, I agree. Who knows what he'll come up with if we go back home and come back tomorrow. And besides..." he pressed his lips together, waiting for a second before continuing, "I don't think I'd be able to sleep tonight if we just... if we did it that way. You know?" The question was posed to everyone, but he looked straight at Jude when he spoke.

Though he was still reeling a little bit from the battle, Jude nodded. "Yeah. Me either."

Admittedly, Jude's focus was only partially on the conversation happening around him. He stared at the swirling red portal and bit his lip. What was waiting for them on the other side of that? If this was Adachi's creation, and it was guarded so heavily by a trap like this, what would they be facing in there? It wasn't like he was doubting their abilities. But thinking of the trickery that Adachi was capable of, thinking about how he'd fooled them in the real world and what they'd just been through because of that same trickery? It was terrifying.

By the time his attention came back to the group, everyone but him had gathered around the portal. The whole group had their eyes on him expectantly, and he looked down bashfully.

"Are you okay, Jude?" Rise asked. Both she and Yosuke showed him expressions like they knew exactly what he was thinking... and that wouldn't surprise him. They knew him better than anyone else, after all.

But he nodded his head, disallowing them to worry about it too much. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I'm just..." he trailed off. What was he? Worried? Well, yes and no. Worry was a natural reflex when facing something like this, right? It felt more accurate to say that he was scared. He didn't want to say that aloud, though. "I'm a little concerned, I guess," he admitted, "for what he's got waiting for us over there."

Yosuke chewed on his lip and nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he admitted. "I'm a little worried, too. But if we let him see that, he'll... you know as well as any of us do what he's capable of doing if we let him see our weakness, right?" His tone was encouraging, and he walked over to Jude, placing a hand on his arm.

Jude looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I know..." he said.

But even as he spoke, he knew that he would have trouble following through. Plain and simple, Adachi terrified him; not only because of what he'd done to Jude, but because Jude was going into this with the people who mattered the most in the world to him. He shook the thought off, though, and took a breath. If it came down to it, he'd make sure _himself_ that nothing happened to them. With that thought, he huffed a sigh and nodded his head once. Nothing would happen. Even if he had to make sure of it himself.

"Alright. Let's go."

Jude and Yosuke strode up to the back of the group, and Jude couldn't help but notice the knowing looks that Yosuke and Rise exchanged at that moment. Even though Yosuke was looking away from him, he could see the concern, the worry, on Rise's face as she looked from Yosuke to Jude. She turned away just before she stepped into the portal, and right as Jude was about to follow suit, he felt Yosuke's hand on his.

"Wait." Yosuke's voice was gentle. "Just for a second."

Blinking twice, Jude's gaze alternated between Yosuke and the portal. "But if we wait too long, the portal might-"

Yosuke nodded. "I know," he said seriously. "Which is why I'm only going to take a second." His hand reached for Jude's, and he gave a concerned half-smile. "It's okay to be scared, you know? You are... right?" he asked.

Initially, Jude didn't plan to say too much, but as usual, when he talked to Yosuke, his genuine emotions reigned supreme, and he nodded his head. "Of course I'm scared," he said, in a softer voice than he planned to use. "After everything Adachi has done to us, why wouldn't I be?" He breathed a heavy sigh and blinked a couple of times. "I keep thinking of what he could do to the others. To Rise. To Ken and Elize. To... to you..." His voice was bashful, embarrassed, as he cast his eyes to the floor.

But the feeling of Yosuke's fingers on his chin snapped him out of his trance. Yosuke lifted his head and leaned down, pressing their lips together softly. It was a brief kiss, but if Yosuke's intent was to snap Jude's focus from his worries, then it was definitely successful. He felt Yosuke's fingers brush his cheek and he blinked slowly. How strange was it; this sudden role-reversal? Usually, it was Jude trying to assuage Yosuke's concerns, but this time...

"You don't have to protect us all alone." Yosuke's voice was gentle. "We all look out for each other. You know that, don't you?"

Jude nodded.

Yosuke nodded, too. "Good. Don't take it all on yourself, then, okay? Let _us_ protect _you_ , too." He paused, then said, "let me. Let me protect you the way you always do for me. It's my turn, okay?"

The words took Jude completely by surprise, but in spite of that, he nodded a couple of times. "That... that doesn't mean that I'm going to let go of my instinct altogether, here." That was a promise he just couldn't make. "But I'll try not to let it consume me. I'll try..." he said. It was all he could promise. He hoped it was enough.

With a nod, Yosuke's hand dropped down to take Jude's. "I couldn't ask you for more than I could give myself," he admitted. "Now let's go before he gets rid of the portal, alright?" He nodded at the red, swirling mass before them.

Once again, Jude nodded. He didn't feel a _lot_ better, no, but it was something. He stepped into the portal alongside Yosuke, and was both surprised and completely unsurprised to see everyone waiting for them on the other side. When he looked among the group of them, each one with their eyes on Jude, his cheeks turned pink.

"Sorry about that," he told them.

Rise shook her head, waving off his apology with one of her trademark smiles. "All systems go?" she asked.

Jude gave her a single nod and half-smiled. "Yeah. All systems go," he confirmed.

Yosuke's hand slid out of Jude's, and he grabbed his nata from his belt. "What the hell is this place?" He blinked a couple of times as he looked around.

As Jude's eyes scanned the area around them, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what Adachi's subconscious was. The whole place was made up of yellow-tinged roads, and wrapped with police tape. There were gnashed bits of street signs which stacked up along the edges of the roads, making weak walls that kept them from looking over the edges. But as Jude looked around, aside from the roads, he saw absolutely nothing. The whole area felt eerie. Like it was straight out of a horror movie, and he felt goosebumps rising on his arms. He blinked a couple of times.

Just as he was about to speak, though, a sickeningly familiar voice filled the whole area, completely cutting him off. "So... you actually managed to beat the Reaper, huh?" he asked tauntingly.

"We're better than you think we are!" Kanji's response echoed around them.

Chie glared into the sky. "And we're coming for you next, so you'd better be ready!" she shouted.

Adachi's laugh rang throughout the area, and it made Jude's eyes narrow. "If you make it here? I look forward to it. Wouldn't count on it, though."

At the very pit of his stomach, Jude felt anger bubbling like a melting pot. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

Naoto stepped to the front of the group and shook her head. "Don't let him get to you." It looked like she was speaking to Kanji, but she could have very well been speaking to Jude, too. "Let's go, everyone. Be on your guard." Her tone was serious, but he could hear that she just barely concealed a bubbling anger of her own.

Pulling in a deep breath, Jude hurried along with the group. Adachi was going to do his time, back in the real world. There was no way that his sick little game was going to continue. Not if Jude had anything to say about it.


	21. Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is ready.

They'd made it down a floor, which was no simple task, given that the sheer volume of shadows here was staggering. Every time they turned a corner, there seemed to be a new congregation of shadows waiting for them. They grouped together from time to time, yes, but it was really strange to see so many of them together like this. If they didn't pay attention, Jude realized, they'd get overwhelmed very quickly. It was even difficult for Rise to find a safe place to stand, and she had to get too close to the battle for everyone's comfort. It meant that their awareness of projectiles and whatever else had to be spot on, or else there was a chance that Rise could be hit.

Jude could tell that she felt guilty, and when they got a chance, he would have to reassure her. But so far, they'd barely had a chance to plan for what was coming ahead (or behind), let alone take any time to talk to one another.

Honestly, he'd never seen the TV world like this before. He could tell that everyone was trying to conserve their energy. Even Ken and Elize, though they had the ability to take some of these enemies down with one or two strikes with their light and dark abilities, were taking it a little easy with their magic. Considering how many shadows they were facing, it was probably a good idea.

As they walked up to the crime-scene-tape door, Yosuke went to slice at it with his nata like he had with the others, only to have it bounce back like there was an attack mirror protecting it.

Yosuke shook his arm when it went back to his side. "What the hell?" he seethed, rolling his shoulder and pulling back for another strike. Just the same, his hand reflected, and bounced back.

As soon as the second strike impacted, Adachi's laugh filled the room, and Jude felt his eyes narrowing. "Are you guys stupid or something?" he asked. "Try something once and it fails, so you try the same thing again?" An exasperated sigh filled the air, and Jude looked up, trying to follow the voice.

"Why don't you stop being a damn coward and show yourself?" Kanji's shout echoed through the open space, and Jude could see how white his knuckles were as he gripped the chair in his hands. "Stop hiding wherever and show your face!"

The laughter picked up again, and Jude made a face. Kanji was just frustrated, just like the rest of them, but the only response he was getting was mockery... and honestly, he probably should've expected it. It was the way Adachi did things, wasn't it? 

The lilting laughter caught his attention once again, and he frowned. "I'd like to see you figure out a way to get out of there without an exit." Jude could _hear_ the smile in Adachi's voice and it made his skin crawl. "And without a way to get back the way you came, even." 

In the distance, he heard a loud humming noise, and as soon as it finished, Jude heard Rise gasp, and he turned to look at her. Everyone else's eyes were on her, too.

"The way back is... it's gone! Just like he said!" She looked at Teddie. "Teddie can you traesto u-"

Yosuke shook his head no. "Wait," he said seriously. "No. Don't, Ted. A little ways back, I saw a hole in the ground. Maybe we can get down further from there." He glanced around the room. "We're going to do this today, right?" His voice sounded a combination of certain and uncertain.

Jude felt exactly the way Yosuke sounded; certain and uncertain. But the worry was outweighed by his own desire to see this through. It seemed, as he looked throughout the group, that everyone shared his feelings.

"I think we're as ready as we're going to get," Naoto nodded her head.

Kanji nodded his head in agreement. "Any more and I think we'll start second guessing. Fixin' things that don't need to be," he said seriously.

And he was right. They were all right. Jude nodded his head. "Yeah. We all just want this over." He wet his lips and looked at Rise. "It'll be alright, Rise. If worse comes to worse, we'll leave. If things get too dire, we'll have Teddie bring us back to the entrance, okay? But for now, let's keep going."

Her hesitation was reasonable. More than reasonable, really. On some level, he was sure that they all felt it. But Kanji was absolutely right. Even standing here, Jude was trying to mentally fix things that weren't broken, and it would only get them in more trouble. Though Rise's agreement was tentative and anxious, they followed Yosuke's lead back to the giant hole in the ground. Jude had noticed it when they'd passed it, sure, but he hadn't thought a whole lot of it. At the time, it had just seemed like one of those notable landmarks in the scenery; a way to keep them from getting irreversibly lost. But as they stood before it now, and looked down into the abyss, he glanced over the edge and blinked a couple of times.

Rise looked at Yosuke in surprise. "Down here?" she asked incredulously. "But how do we know if there's anything down there? It might just be open space, and then..." She paused, taking a couple of steps back and summoning her persona.

Jude was watching her as she scanned, but after a few seconds, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to look, and was equal parts surprised, and not surprised at all, to see Yosuke looking at him with an anxious expression, but a halfhearted smile all the same.

"I have a bad feeling about all of this," Jude admitted finally, his voice soft in hopes that only Yosuke could hear him. 

Yosuke didn't say anything at first, just looked at the ground off to their left, but then he nodded once and looked up at Jude. "So do I," he admitted.

They didn't exchange any more words, but in a weird way, Jude almost felt like they didn't need to. For Jude, it was almost like he could tell what Yosuke was feeling. Anxieties and bad feelings aside, they needed to do this. It wasn't so much for the reasons they were giving, though there was truth to those, too. They would definitely over-correct if they turned back now, that wasn't a lie. But it was more than that. It was more because of the personal stake they had in this. Yosuke had lost two people, both a girl he'd been in love with, and the boy who had pulled him back up out of the dust, to Adachi. Not to mention the fact that Adachi had attacked him twice. The ramifications of that hit Jude, too, of course, and add on the fact that Adachi had almost killed him... Jude's stake in this was definitely personal, too. That, Jude figured, was stronger than the over-preparation factor for them.

So, they were quiet through Rise giving them the okay and telling them that there was something below, and how it felt different than where they were now. Silently, Jude wondered how far down it was, but no sooner did the thought manifest than the familiar slick squishing of approaching shadows snapped his attention.

Kanji was the first one to approach the hole. "No time to think about it now, guys!" he told them seriously as he plunged himself off the edge.

It was typical of Kanji, sure, but the next pair of people to propel themselves into the pit surprised him. Elize stopped, looked at Ken, and the pair of them hurried up and hopped over the edge at the same time. Jude just blinked after them, completely amazed, as Chie and Yukiko followed suit. Naoto was next, and then Rise and Teddie. With everyone else down below, Yosuke looked at him with a shrug and a nod.

"Might as well, right?" he asked.

There was no turning back now, Jude knew that. So, he nodded his head and walked up to the edge. "Right," he agreed seriously.

The fall felt exactly the same as the fall into the TV world did. As the foggy air whipped around him, he couldn't help but smile a little. Sometimes he thought that if he wasn't such a reasonable, responsible person, he could be a hell of a thrill seeker, because the feeling of falling like he was, was actually kind of nice. Still, after a little while, he wondered exactly how long he was going to fall. No sooner had the thought entered his mind, though, than he spotted two flashes of light from below, and two personas soaring through the air. Naoto and Yukiko's personas soared up, Yamato-Takeru stopping to catch Jude and bring him safely to the ground and Ameterasu continuing a little bit upward to catch Yosuke.

It was strange, to feel protection coming from someone else's persona, but it wasn't an altogether bad feeling. He looked at Naoto's persona, a little surprised at the size of it. It looked like a militarized pixie, and a part of him wondered how a being so small could support his weight. Personas did seem to have unexpected strength, though. He smiled, and a part of him wondered if it saw. If it _could_ see. When it placed him on the ground, he turned and glanced at the small being as it faded into the fog.

He turned his smile to Naoto then, catching sight of Ameterasu setting Yosuke down from the corner of his eye. "Thanks, Naoto. Did you guys have to do that for everyone?"

Yukiko nodded her head. "Mmhmm. The fall was a lot longer than we expected, so while I was on the way down, I had Ameterasu catch Kanji and Chie, and then everyone else as they came down. As soon as Naoto touched down, she helped me." She turned to look at Yosuke. "Are you okay, Yosuke?" she asked.

With a nod, Yosuke dusted himself and put his hand on Yukiko's shoulder as he walked by. "That was quick thinking. Thanks, you guys." 

The positive feelings didn't last very long, because in that moment, Adachi's voice filled the air. "So, you figured out how to get out of that trap, did you?" he taunted them from somewhere. Everywhere. "No matter. It's not going to do you any good." Though they couldn't see him, Jude could clearly imagine the malicious smile on his face.

Much to everyone's surprise, it was Ken's voice that echoed throughout the area around them. "You may think you're smart, but we'll find you!" he shouted into the fog.

Elize put her hand on his shoulder, in an attempt to calm him, but it was obvious that she felt similarly. Even Naoto seemed to be having trouble holding back a similar explosion. Her hands were clenched tightly at her sides, and she glared out into the air with a furrowed brow.

"Ignore him," Rise forced herself to say, breathing deeply and looking around. "He's trying to get under our skin, and if we let him, he'll take advantage and trap us again."

Jude nodded his head took a steadying breath. She was right. If they rose to the bait, they would only end up in more trouble. In an attempt to calm himself, he looked around, in an attempt to get his bearings. This area was similar, but different at the same time. The gnashed signs and crime scene tape still littered the area in some kind of attempt at decoration, and they still walked down a yellow-striped road, but now? Now everything around them was shaded crimson. It almost seemed like the area had been soaked in blood. He glanced back up, searching for the hole they'd jumped in, and was slightly dismayed to realize that it was nowhere in sight. The only way back was via Teddie now.

But that was okay. They'd manage.

For a moment, Jude wondered if the red around them was some kind of symbolism; if the blood soaked area was supposed to represent the murders and attempted murders Adachi had committed, but he didn't let himself think about that for long.

Once they started moving again, Jude honestly couldn't focus on much other than combat. It seemed almost like there were twice as many shadows here as there had been in the yellow section. Groups of eight were among the smaller groups, and sometimes the team found themselves facing down groups of twenty or more. It was tiring, and Jude could tell that Yukiko and Elize were at their limit. He and Teddie jumped in, helping them to heal when it was necessary, but the number of shadows was almost overwhelming.

Every now and again, someone found themselves needing a break. Chie tired first, which made perfect sense. It seemed, sometimes, like she fought harder than the rest of them. Elize was next, and Jude covered for her as far as healing went. When Jude's time came, he took a chance to look over their fighting formation. Everyone played their part so well. Chie was an absolute powerhouse, and combined with Kanji, it was almost like they were a wall. Elize and Yukiko stood in front of Rise, guarding her from attack, and Ken slotted in beside Naoto and Yosuke, offering support and magic when he could.

Before he stood to rejoin the fight, his eyes fell upon Yosuke, and a little grin crossed his face. Something about the way he fought was like a dance. He moved swiftly, and each strike seemed so precise and calculated, for a battle strike, anyway. He flipped and did air-strikes, almost like some kind of gymnast; it was entrancing. Someday, he resolved as he hurried back to his place between Chie and Kanji, he'd tell Yosuke that. Someday, when all the madness was over.

Through six floors of shadow-based madness, including a floor where Adachi taunted them to go through without fighting a single shadow, they prevailed. They even managed to beat the giant they faced at the bottom. It was an exhausting battle, and when they beat it, they found themselves at a complete dead end. No Adachi, no more hallways... not even a door. Between them, the general consensus was that they had to have missed something, and just as they turned to retrace their steps, Adachi's voice filled the room around them.

"You guys aren't as lame as you look, are you?" he asked.

None of them answered, so Adachi just chuckled and continued speaking. "You know, I was going to tell you what to do next, but if you're not going to answer me?" He chuckled casually. "Guess you can just wander around there until the shadows get you."

And indeed, in the distance, Jude saw what looked like a wall of oozing black shadows coming for them. He blinked twice and looked up at the sky. "Excuse us for not lowering ourselves to taunts and bait!" he called out. If Adachi wanted them to answer him; if that was the only way to get them out of here, Jude would answer.

Another single laugh, and Adachi hummed thoughtfully. "Loweing yourselves, huh? You think you're so high and mighty. Better than everyone because you're fighting for good, for justice or whatever. Is that what you think?" His words were drawn out and slow, like he was trying to buy the shadows some time to get to them.

Jude felt a growl escape his throat as he prepared himself to fight the shadows. _Can we fight these?_ he asked himself.

While Jude tried to think of what to say to Adachi's taunt, Yosuke's voice rang clear in the area around them. "You called us here, trapped us twice, and we beat everything you threw at us! Face us head on! Or are you afraid?" The tone in his voice was challenging, but even as he spoke, he readied his nata, in case Adachi didn't rise to it.

For a long time, it was silent. Too long. The crawling mass of shadows was closing in on them, and there was absolutely nowhere for them to run. There was obvious fear on everyone's faces, but they all had their weapons ready, waiting, hoping for something to come their way and prevent them from facing the group.

It seemed like nothing was coming.

However, as the point of no return rapidly approached, as each of them swung out to make their first attack, Adachi's voice filled the area around them. "You want to face me? You'd better be ready!" he shouted.

And in an instant, a blindingly bright light surrounded them. It was so bright that Jude couldn't even see his friends around him; he could barely even see his hand in front of his face. It lasted for about five seconds, and when his eyes finally came back into focus, he realized that they were no longer at the dead end. No longer in the red part of the dungeon. No longer about to face the wall of shadows. They all stood, in fighting stance, right before the yellow tape that Yosuke had tried to cut before.

Jude blinked twice.

"It'll open now," Adachi's voice was much sharper now. Much sterner. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

The group was silent for a moment, as if they were trying to process what had happened, and among them, Naoto was the first one to speak. "Are we ready?" she asked, swallowing nervously as she walked up beside Yosuke.

Yosuke nodded his head once, and turned to look at everyone else. Everyone but Jude nodded, and Yosuke's eyes fell to him. Once again, in a moment of silent communication, he caught the question that Yosuke asked. _Are you ready?_ was as plain as day on his face, and he pressed his lips together, like his own answer hinged on Jude's.

Was he? Was he ready to face the man who had haunted his best friend, haunted _all_ of his friends, for two years now? Was he ready to finally get vengeance for the sleepless nights and days of anxiety that Adachi had caused everyone? Was he finally ready to bring Adachi back to the real world and make him pay for his crimes?

Yeah. He was ready.

"Cut the tape," he told Yosuke in a level tone.


	22. Flux

When Yosuke cut the tape and they found a red swirling portal, similar to the ones that had led them to lower floors, the consensus was that they needed a short break before they faced Adachi. It was fortunate that the small area behind the tape was completely empty, because the group of them were completely exhausted. Yosuke leaned against the wall and let his head rest against it, looking up at the seemingly endless fog over his head. Really, he should have expected that this would be the hardest part of the journey. He should have, and he knew it. But the sheer number of shadows they'd faced so far was staggering. In fact, the fact that it was so quiet now was almost worthy of concern.

But it seemed like the others were of the same thought process. Teddie and Rise stood watch by the door while they rested, and Yosuke pulled in a deep breath.

It wasn't surprising at all when he felt a familiar warm brush against his arm. He turned his head to look at Jude, a weak half-smile crossing his face. The whole time they were in here, he'd been very tentative. Very tense. Actually, they were all very tense, but for Yosuke, it was slightly more noticeable in Jude because of how familiar he was with the way Jude acted. Even now, as he leaned against the wall beside Yosuke, looking up at him, there was an anxious hyper-awareness in his expression. So aware, in fact, that the sound of Kanji's chair hitting the floor and leaning against the wall made him jump.

Yosuke's voice was calm, but there was definitely concern on his face. He saw it reflected in Jude's glasses. "Still got that bad feeling?" he asked.

The frown on Jude's face told Yosuke more than any words could, but he still responded with a nod. "Maybe I'm just being too paranoid. Maybe I'm just overreacting, and this dread I'm feeling is just because my biggest memory of Adachi is what just happened this past weekend..." he murmured.

Shaking his head, Yosuke slid down the wall so that he was sitting next to a standing Jude. "Even if it is that, that's a good reason for being anxious, I think," he said, watching as Jude followed suit, sitting on the floor beside Yosuke.

Humming thoughtfully, Jude shrugged. "Maybe," he said softly. "But it's got me questioning every thought I have in here, and it's annoying." He chuckled bitterly and rolled his head so that he was staring up at the foggy sky over their heads.

"Don't let it," Yosuke said simply.

Jude gave Yosuke a look. "It's not that easy, Yosuke."

And Yosuke knew that was true. He was experiencing the same feeling, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. "It's like what Kanji said," he pointed out. "Over-preparing can apply to more than physical preparation, you know?" He paused. "Did I ever tell you about when we went after Namatame?" he asked.

Jude shook his head no.

Yosuke told Jude most of his stories, when they at home, sitting on the couch and nothing good was on TV. Most of the battles that took place before they met. But there were some details that he lost, some things that got buried with time, that were situationally revealed. This was one of those cases. What Jude was feeling right now and what Yosuke had felt back then were very similar, and even though Jude was different; even though Jude was a thousand times more mature than Yosuke had ever been, feelings were still the same, and hard to ignore. Going into a confrontation against a dangerous foe, but knowing, or at least having a feeling, that it wasn't going to be the end... it was hard, even for someone with Jude's maturity and patience. Admittedly, he hadn't handled it the best back then, but he didn't want Jude to go through those same regrets.

"When Namatame took Nanako, the whole team was really thrown," he explained. "Souji mostly, obviously, but it really affected all of us. Nanako was... is... like a little sister to us, too. And at the time, I was of the mind that whatever affected Souji, affected me. I obsessed over it when we were preparing to go after her. I was determined to make sure that Namatame paid for what he'd done."

He sighed. He'd made a lot of stupid mistakes that day, and now, as he thought back on them, it was no wonder that Souji hadn't thought he was worthy of returned affections. Shaking that thought off, he turned his head to look up at Jude. "I mean... determined," he chuckled softly, embarrassed. "When we encountered him, though... it was a nightmare. His shadow said some things. It tried to trick us into acting rashly and said a lot of things that just... got under our skin."

Smoothing a hand through his hair, he rested his head against the wall. "I almost snapped. I kept suggesting that we leave him here to die like he did to Saki and Mayumi Yamano. I probably _would've_ snapped. We _all_ probably would have snapped... even Naoto. But I was the mastermind behind it all. Rise, Chie and Souji somehow managed to stay calm, though, and talked me out of it. They made sure that we didn't do anything stupid," he said quietly. And boy was he glad that everyone was distracted right then.

It looked like Jude knew what he was saying, the expression on his face was gentle and understanding as usual, but in a display of that very same understanding, he didn't say anything. He just let Yosuke finish.

Yosuke wondered for a second, if it was because he realized that getting this out of his system was more for his own sake as it was for Jude's. Jude was the most rational, levelheaded person he knew; did he really need to worry about _Jude_ , of all people, going off the handle in the face of Adachi? He shrugged and finished. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew about the mistake I almost made. I mean, you're a thousand times more rational than I am on my best day, but... emotions in a situation like this are pretty intense, and I get that. So..." he shrugged.

Jude smiled a little bit and nudged Yosuke with his shoulder. "You're a good leader, you know that?" he asked.

"Huh?" The comment took Yosuke completely off-guard, but maybe it shouldn't have. Jude was always saying things like that. Though Yosuke didn't know why he was saying it now.

With a shrug, Jude slid a tiny bit closer to him. "It couldn't have been easy for you to tell me that," he pointed out simply. "But you did. Just to make sure that I didn't make a stupid mistake. I mean, I can't say that I would have, I'd like to think I could tamp back that impulse, but still, you going back to that time in your life can't be easy. It shows how much you trust me, and I appreciate that a lot."

Yosuke felt his cheeks heating up a little bit, but he nodded and grinned. "I think..." He paused and scratched the back of his head. "I think it was probably more to remind myself not to go overboard than for you, but... now you know that even someone as collected and smart as Naoto can lose their head sometimes, so none of us are immune." 

For a few moments, Jude was quiet, but then he nodded and breathed a slow sigh. "Yeah." He thought for a second, and then shrugged. "I can't really guarantee that I wouldn't, either, so I guess it's a good thing to keep in mind." He pushed himself into a stanting position, only wincing a couple of times as he moved, and then turned to reach a hand down to help Yosuke up.

When Yosuke looked, he saw that some of their other teammates were gathering around the swirling red portal and glancing toward them. They had been sitting there for a little while, after all. He accepted Jude's hand and got to his feet.

Elize hurried up to them and stopped in front of Yosuke. "Are you ready?" she asked, a nervous smile on her face.

Behind her, Ken approached slowly and stopped in front of Jude. "Everyone else has been waiting for a couple minutes, but you two were sitting here talking, and we didn't want to interrupt you," he said seriously.

Chuckling awkwardly, Yosuke glanced over at Jude with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that," he muttered, as he led the group of four toward the portal. When he and Jude started talking, sometimes the world around them somehow faded into the distance. At home, they would lose track of hours. It was a good thing they were snapped out of it. He pushed his glasses up a little higher and breathed a sigh as the group of them walked up to join everyone else.

Yosuke's mood shift was more instant than he would've expected it to be. With each step he took, the nice feeling he'd felt when thinking about Jude and how it felt when they talked, faded away. By the time they met up with the rest of the group, his mind was completely focused on the situation at hand. The look on Naoto's face said more than any words could, honestly, but just to be safe, Yosuke looked over everyone else. They were all as ready as they were going to be.

After the groupwide exchange that confirmed that yes, they were all ready, Yosuke stepped into the portal.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what he had expected on the other side. Another floor, or maybe some kind of twisted creature that would jump out and attack them like the mass of shadows had earlier? But when his eyes focused, he realized that he was standing at the front of a long corridor, leading to a platform with a form that, from this side, looked like an ant. _Adachi..._ he thought. The whole area was the same color crimson that the lower floors of the area had been, and even though there was nothing threatening in his imidiate vicinity, that blood red color still made Yosuke feel anxious.

It was both surprising and unsurprising that Kanji and Naoto's faces were the first he saw on the other side with him. Everyone else appeared shortly thereafter, and Yosuke found himself seeking Jude's face in the crowd—maybe for a bit of comfort in the chaos—and then turned to look at the platform.

"I think he's over there," Yosuke said needlessly. He was sure everyone else had figured that out, too.

Rise nodded her head. "It's definitely him. But it's weird..." she added, "I half expected there to be some other weird force here with him, what with how he was saying that there was something else. That he wasn't it. I thought maybe..." Her voice trailed off for a second. "I don't know what I thought..." she added in a mumble.

With a supportive hand on Rise's shoulder, Jude nodded his head. "I know what you mean, but I think it would be best if we took it one step at a time."

Chie nodded. "Yeah. If something else comes out when we beat him, we'll take it on. Like we did with Namatame-san and Ameno-Sagiri." Her voice was calm, at least as far as Chie was concerned, but she definitely didn't look calm.

Yosuke glanced over at Naoto. "Let's go?" He posed it as a question, but he was pretty sure that he didn't need to.

The group hurried down the hall, but as they moved, the feeling of dread that had been churning in the pit of Yosuke's stomach since he and Jude had encountered the reaper started churning even more. It swelled a little when Adachi's form came into view and he had to fight the urge to stop in place when Adachi turned and grinned at them.

"Jesus," Adachi's casual voice said. "When I said I'd face you, I didn't think you'd take a year getting to me."

No one said anything at first. Honestly, even Yosuke was having a difficult time trying to come up with _what_ to say. But they all stared at Adachi like they were terrified, and Yosuke had a gut feeling that Adachi would use that as a reason to attack. So, with a deep breath, he pushed his fear out, and spoke for everyone.

His eyes square on Adachi, he spoke. "We're not stupid enough to come in here anything less than fully rested," he spat, and the anger in his voice was both surprising and not.

Adachi snorted. "Flattery? Don't you think we're past that point, Hanamura?" he asked.

Yosuke's eyes narrowed. "Don't kid yourself," he seethed. "If you think anyone in this room has any attachment to you, you're sorely mistaken." This wasn't like the fight with Souji. The only reason they were pulling _any_ punches was because of the fact that they needed to bring Adachi back alive.

With a derisive snort, Adachi shrugged his shoulders. "I don't need _attachment_ from any of you," he said, his grin lilting upward a little more. The mania appeared in his eyes again, and he reached a hand out, calling down a tarot card. It was starting. "All I need is for each and every one of you..." he paused, the grin disappearing from his face and quickly turning to a snarl, "to _entertain_ me as I kill you."

He didn't speak another word, just crushed the tarot card with a furious backhand strike. And when Yosuke saw the persona he summoned, he found himself completely frozen in place. The red coat... the long sword... it was like that red version of Izanagi that Souji had used two years ago...

Everyone seemed to be similarly frozen, and Yosuke saw the bright light before the electric zap struck down. He dove out of the way just in time, barreling into Teddie to ensure that he wasn't hit, either. He didn't waste a second, before getting back up, reaching a hand down to help Teddie from the floor. With a glance around, he couldn't help but be amused to see that everyone had already fanned out while they were down. No one even needed to give an order. They all knew exactly what to do; just like a well oiled machine. And that was exactly what was going to win this for them.

Yosuke hurried to position, and Teddie did the same... but it seemed like Adachi wasn't pulling any punches either. His attacks were furious, yes, but equally as furious were the barbs he threw out.

"Wondering how I know what you're all weak to?" Adachi asked with a little grin on his face, as he called forth a blast of ice that Yukiko just barely dodged. And yeah. Yosuke had definitely been wondering. After effortlessly ducking to the side of an ice blast from Teddie, Adachi stopped, staring directly at Yosuke when he said, " _he_ told me. He knew this day would come, so he told me everything that all of you are weak to. Not to mention that I know exactly what to say to everyone. Well, everyone except you, because you don't matter," he added, waving a hand in Jude's direction.

Jude's only response was to angrily summon Kushinada and surround Adachi with a whirlwind, which made him recoil and stumble for a second, but otherwise didn't have any affect.

Adachi laughed a single laugh and rolled his eyes. "Nice try, princess." He looked at Naoto. "Hey! Princess, prince... love connection? Hm?" His voice was jovial, but he still had that furious mania in his eyes. "I mean, you're practically a boy and that _is_ how he rolls, right? Since Hanamura doesn't really want anything to do with that..." he winked at Naoto, who narrowed her eyes.

She summoned, and struck at Adachi with a lightning pillar, which he blocked.

"Adachi, you're wasting your breath," Yosuke said in defense of all of his friends.

With an amused grin, Adachi chuckled and straightened his posture. "Maybe I am," he mused, baring down even more against Yosuke and summoning that red Izanagi again.

But even though he was staring at Yosuke while he summoned, the attack went in a different direction. From the corner of his eye, Yosuke spotted the blaze of fire blocking Jude from his vision, and the familiarity of Jude being hit with a fire spell from that same persona made him blanch. Jude was on the floor, having dodged just like he did then, but this time, Yosuke acted quickly. It wasn't going to happen again. Not this time. He lunged forward and tackled Adachi to the floor, then pulled back with all his might and punched Adachi in the face, but unlike with Souji, it wasn't enough to knock him unconscious.

So, Yosuke hit him again. Once again, he wasn't unconscious, so Yosuke pulled his fist back... but before he could make impact, Adachi moved an arm, throwing Yosuke off him and to the side with surprising speed... then pulled out his gun.

Snorting a laugh, Adachi rolled his eyes. "There's this old phrase about bringing a knife to a gun fight, but I feel like right now, I don't need to tell you that." He pointed his gun down at the floor where Yosuke was sitting, tilting his head to the side in mock pity.

It wasn't like it was the first time Yosuke had seen a gun. He'd fought alongside Naoto for years now, after all. But it definitely _was_ the first time that he'd seen one from this side. And it was definitely as terrifying as it should have been. He stared at the piece of metal in Adachi's hand... but from the very corner of his eye, he spotted Naoto to Adachi's left, raising her gun to take aim. 

But before she could take a shot, Adachi shook his head, and peered at her, but didn't move his gun from where it was pointed at Yosuke. "Not very sporting, Shirogane," he taunted. "Shooting a guy where he can't see. Put the gun down, or I'll kill Hanamura."

In a slow, calculated motion, Naoto lowered her gun... and Yosuke could see exactly why she was taking so much time. To the opposite side of Adachi, Jude was moving in closer. His movements were quiet, in an attempt not to draw attention as he closed the distance to Adachi. A thousand thoughts swirled through Yosuke's mind, but the most prominent one was that if he caught Jude... he'd kill him. He turned his head just slightly, glancing at Jude from the corner of his eye and shaking his head no. _Don't. Don't..._ he thought.

"Don't think so," Adachi's voice filled the silence as he turned toward Jude.

In a split second, everything around them changed. Adachi's attention was on Jude now, the gun aimed right at his chest. Jude was frozen in place, and Naoto had her pistol raised again, at Adachi's back. Yosuke was still on the floor, a thousand thoughts still swirling around in his head. _He'll kill all of us. But we need him alive so Naoto can't shoot him. We need to... I need to..._

Yosuke pulled himself from the floor and lunged at Adachi once again.

A pang of sad familiarity coursed through him at the impact of his shoulder against Adachi's hip, followed by the deafening sound of a gunshot filling the room around him. A sharp cry ( _Jude's voice,_ Yosuke's brain taunted) filled the room, followed by the sound of Adachi's gun hitting the floor, and skittering a few feet away, landing at Chie's feet. Right now, Yosuke couldn't focus on anything but incapacitating Adachi, as much as he wanted to run to Jude's side and see if he was okay.

Rise gasped. "J-Jude?" she shouted, her voice far closer than it would have been in her combat position.

"Jude-san!" Ken's voice followed.

"We win again..." Adachi taunted as he looked up at Yosuke from the floor.

The sick feeling in Yosuke's stomach was overpowering. "Not this time!" He clenched his fist tightly and punched Adachi again... and then one more time, and then once _more_ , until he was unconscious on the floor. 

_Jude..._ he thought. _Please tell me I wasn't too late again..._


	23. Flow

**January 28th, 2015**

_Only a few times did Yosuke ever remember seeing so much blood at once. Jude's arm was almost completely drenched, and it was still pouring out of the wound like an eerie red stream. Jude sat, completely still, staring down at his fingertips as as the red dripped off of them, and Yosuke hurried away from Adachi's unconscious form, trusting any one of the others to take care of the situation. He couldn't do it right now. He'd tamped back his instinct for long enough. He hit his knees next to Jude and swallowed thickly._

_Jude was the medical expert here, but over time, Yosuke had learned a couple of things from him. He took one of his knives and quickly cut one of the sleeves from his shirt._

_"I... I was only trying to..." Jude's voice was quiet, shaky... scared. "I only wanted..."_

_Yosuke shushed him, and shook his head no. "I know, Jude. I know. It's okay." It wasn't okay. It wasn't even close to okay, and the swirling torrent of thoughts in his head had moved to his stomach and turned into fears as Yosuke tied the fabric around Jude's arm, a few inches above the wound._

_Jude hissed in pain when Yosuke closed the knot, but shook his head. "I couldn't... I couldn't let him... not you." He looked up at Yosuke again, and the look in his eyes was so honest, so raw... so full of emotion... it was almost overwhelming to look at him. Here Jude was, possibly bleeding to death because he was trying to protect Yosuke--a thought which made Yosuke's stomach lurch--and he could still manage to look at Yosuke like that._

__I love you, _Yosuke thought. But he couldn't say it. Not right now._

When Yosuke's eyes came back into focus, he realized that he was sitting in the hospital, in Jude's room, while Jude slept a couple of feet away. Everything that had happened after that had been a cluster. They'd hurried back to the entrance... and then they'd had to split up. Yosuke, Rise, Teddie, Ken and Elize had gone to the hospital with Jude, while Naoto, Kanji, Chie and Yukiko had gone with the police to give a report of what had happened. It had been a week now, and Yosuke had spent a large percentage of his time in Jude's room.

It wasn't like one of those terrible tragedies. Jude wasn't dead, he wasn't in a coma, none of that. In fact, the doctors seemed confident that with physical therapy, Jude would get full mobility back in his arm. There had been some medical mumbo-jumbo thrown around that he didn't understand, but the bullet hadn't hit any arteries _or_ bones... the doctors had called it "superficial," but it hardly looked that way. The blood covering his arm... the blood on Yosuke's hands... the memory sent a chill down his spine. He slammed his eyes shut and shook his head to dispel it. When he opened his eyes again, he turned to look at Jude with a little sigh.

For what felt like the hundredth time, he'd almost lost someone he loved.

It probably should have broken him. It should have made him want to run. In fact, judging by the way Jude looked at him when they were awake, that was probably what Jude expected. Yosuke could tell that Jude was just counting the seconds, counting the minutes until Yosuke told him that he couldn't do this anymore.

This time, though... this time it had the opposite effect. Maybe Yosuke should have known that, from the way he hadn't run when Adachi had attacked Jude the first time. Maybe he should have sensed that things were different this time. But on the second night he'd stayed here with Jude, right after Jude had fallen asleep, he came to a realization.

Even if he cut and ran (and the thought had crossed his mind a couple of times, he couldn't even pretend that it hadn't), he knew that it wouldn't change the way he felt. He loved Jude, damn it. It was one of those sickeningly sweet feelings of love that burrowed into the very center of your heart and coursed through your veins like a virus, or a drug. Even if he let go of Jude now... it wouldn't go away. It would be another part of his life that he tried to deny, that would haunt him, that would just twist and knot and become more fuel for his shadow. Loving Jude was as much a part of him now as his persona. Being with Jude, seeing Jude all the time, was just as vital to him as breathing.

There was no way in hell that he was going to cast it aside. There was no way that he could.

Yosuke reached over to the table beside him, for his phone and his bottle of water, and took a slow drink before he brightened the display and checked his messages. He had messages from everyone, all asking about how Jude was, and how he was... but the one that stood out the most was Rise's.

She'd just been there earlier that day, but Jude had been resting when she showed up, so she'd only stayed long enough to leave him a couple of books and movies that he liked. Yosuke had chatted with her for awhile, but it had been beyond difficult to keep himself 'normal,' and he was sure that she'd noticed.

It was two simple words; _u okay?_ , but it was really all the encouragement Yosuke needed. He slowly left the room, walking down the hall and into the empty waiting area. Breathing a slow sigh, he decided that, rather than responding to Rise in a text... he needed to talk to her. Maybe he needed someone to hear his confession before Jude. Or maybe he just needed to talk to someone who knew Jude as well as he did. He wasn't sure what it was, but before he could stop himself, he was dialing Rise's number.

The answer was almost immediate.

"Yosuke?" Rise's voice seemed a little bit tense, panicked, worried.

And it was only then that he realized that maybe, calling without warning while Jude was in the hospital wasn't the best idea. He sat down in a chair overlooking one of the windows and sighed. "He's fine. I'm sorry. I should've-"

Rise's voice was clear as a bell when she said, "no, no, it's okay. How are you?" she asked.

He was a little surprised that she wasn't asking about Jude first. He was the one who'd been shot, after all. Yosuke was fine. More fine than he ever expected he'd be in this situation. For the most part, anyway. There were still some lingering thoughts and worries, some questions that he was afraid to ask, but for the most part, "I'm... I'm actually fine," he said, and at the very least, he thought he was being honest.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a couple of seconds, but when Rise spoke, there was obvious worry in her voice. "Fine?" she asked.

Yosuke sighed. That probably needed some explanation. "I mean... I'm not great. Obviously I wish that this hadn't happened, and I'm still worried. And I still get that sick-to-my-stomach feeling every time I think about how he almost died. Again. So... so, maybe fine isn't the right term." Okay. He wasn't fine. "But I'm glad he's alive."

A quiet hum was Rise's only response, and somehow Yosuke knew exactly what she was worried about. She'd always been good about not pressuring Yosuke to reveal more feelings than he was ready to, but Yosuke always knew that underneath that surface, she really just wanted to explode at him. Sometimes, Yosuke thought that maybe, she was more protective of Jude than he was. Jude and Rise were like siblings, after all. Unbelievably close. Sometimes he thought that maybe she was even closer to him than Yosuke was himself. Admittedly, it made him a little jealous.

"If you're, um... if you're worried that I'm too freaked out, that I'm going to cut and run, or whatever else... don't be. I'm not." He smoothed a hand through his hair and chewed on his lip. "I wouldn't. Not after everything we've been through."

And he wasn't just referring to this, either. Everything, even back to high school. Jude always stood by him, no matter what happened. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't return the favor?

Rise seemed satisfied with that answer, at least for now. "Good. I think if you walked away, it'd hurt more than the bullet." The words were deliberate. Somehow, and for better or worse, Rise always knew what to say to get a reaction out of people.

This time, the reaction was just a lot of thought. Jude was definitely very loyal, definitely very loving. But losing Yosuke "hurting more" than a bullet to the arm? That seemed a little bit crazy, and definitely gave a lot more questions than answers. But he broke the thought process to ask, "Any update on Adachi? He's going to jail, right?" He could only hope that the bullet wound in Jude's shoulder served _some_ purpose. Enough purpose to get Adachi into jail, anyway.

"Mmhmm," Rise confirmed. "At the very least, he's going for a year, for shooting Jude. Naoto is trying to get them to tack on an extra six months or so for when he attacked you, since she feels like he wasn't punished enough for that."

That made Yosuke smile a little bit in spite of everything. In spite of the fact that he knew that there was no way for them to attach him to the two murders back in '12; in spite of the fact that he'd almost killed every person that Yosuke held dear more than once... Yosuke smiled. They'd have time to prove things now. He wasn't sure exactly how they'd do it, and he wasn't sure they'd all get the chance to be involved, either. But at the very least, he'd be in jail for a year.

Still, it was hard to call that good. "At least it's something," he said quietly.

It was quiet for a couple of seconds, and then Rise asked the question that was probably on everyone's minds. "How long do you think it'll be until whoever he said was still in there will show themselves?"

Yosuke had nightmares about that very question. He had many different kinds of nightmares, honestly, but the ones that seemed to come about the most were the one about losing Jude and the one about their mystery combatant appearing and attacking. But even with that, he didn't have an answer to Rise's question. He frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "I wish I did." They all probably wished they did.

"I can't stop thinking about who it is." The confession was candid, but honestly, Rise was very candid with the group of them. They were a family, after all.

Yosuke scratched a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. "I don't think any of us can help but wonder that, Rise. But... but whatever it is, we'll face it. We'll deal with it like we do with everything else." And hopefully, the situation would be far less messy than it was this time.

The answer obviously didn't satisfy her, and Yosuke couldn't blame her, because he was far from satisfied with it, too. But rather than focus on that, he pulled in a deep breath and scratched the back of his head. "Rise. I called you for something. To talk about something. You know Jude better than anyone else."

"Almost," she cut him off. "Almost anyone else."

Yosuke arched an eyebrow. "Huh?" he asked.

Rise's tone was incredulous when she responded. "You honestly think I know more about him than you? He tells you everything, Yosuke. Yeah, I knew some things before you did, but that was back in high school. Things are way different now." She was obviously certain, and Yosuke wished that he could be that certain.

"I... really?" he asked.

She gave an exasperated sigh. "If I was there right now, I'd totally knock you on the head, you know that?" On the other end of the line, he could hear her moving around a little bit, but shortly thereafter, she spoke up again. "He told me that he told you how he feels. That he loves you. He _loves_ you, Yosuke. He tells you everything. You know more about him than anyone. Even me," she said seriously. Her voice didn't leave a lot of room to question, but generally, when Rise was certain about something, it was hard to argue.

And besides... Yosuke thought for a couple of seconds. For every reason there was _to_ tell Rise, Yosuke could think of three more to keep quiet, but he pulled in a deep sigh in spite of that. Even if he didn't say anything, he was almost positive that she knew.

"I love him too, Rise." It was a simple confession, and it was almost offensive that it was so much easier for him to tell Rise than Jude. Jude deserved to know. Yosuke knew that. And he knew that Rise knew that. So... why was this easier?

Honestly, Rise's answer was unsurprising. "I know," she said simply, voice nonjudgmental, and endlessly kind as always. "I can tell when you look at him." She paused, before saying, "I think he knows, too. I think... I've always thought that it's one of those things that doesn't always need saying. That if someone loves you, and _really_ loves you, you just know."

Yosuke breathed a deep sigh and nodded his head. "It makes sense." A part of him wondered if she had felt that way with Souji, but he didn't ask.

"But I still think you should tell him." Her tone was stern, serious. "Maybe not now, maybe not soon, but you should definitely tell him. This whole thing is proof that every second you waste is one you can't get back."

Without provocation, Yosuke found his eyes wandering down the hall toward Jude's room. He frowned. He wanted to say something. Of course he did. Jude deserved to hear it and Rise was absolutely right, that every second wasted was one you couldn't get back. But... not here. Not in the hospital. Not in someplace so dismal.

"Not here." It probably sounded like a cop-out to her, but it wasn't one. Not really. When Yosuke revealed his feelings, whenever it happened, he wanted it to be special. Something Jude would never forget. "I don't want him to think of the hospital when... you know what I mean, right?"

A few seconds of silence, and Rise hummed an affirmative response. "Plus, it'll give you a chance to be less chicken about it, right?" The words could've probably been heard maliciously, but Yosuke knew that there was no malicious intent.

And he chuckled a little bit because of that. "Yeah. Something like that." He stretched his back and stood up. "I should probably head back. If Jude wakes up and I'm not there-"

He didn't need to finish the sentence, though, because Rise cut him off with some gentle words. "Tell him I'll stop in tomorrow with some tofu miso soup, okay? And tell him I'm thinking about him?" Her tone was gentle, that classic Rise kindness.

After a quick goodbye, Yosuke hurried back to Jude's room, peering inside to see that Jude was, in fact, awake. He was looking at the television, but there was definitely a giant cloud of concern over his head. He'd woken up without Yosuke there, of course he was concerned. The rain cloud they always joked about, rearing its head, he supposed. Smoothing a hand through his hair, he turned the door handle and leaned against the cool metal, pushing it open.

Jude's head turned quickly, and Yosuke ducked his head in embarrassment for having startled him.

"Didn't mean to jump you. Sorry about that," he muttered quietly, walking across the room and taking his seat back. "I called Rise, and I didn't want to wake you up."

Shaking off the apology, Jude relaxed a little bit. "It's okay. It gave me a chance to talk to my father when he called, anwyay," he admitted.

Just the mention of Derrick Mathis, even if it wasn't by name, made Yosuke clench his fists. Jude's mother had been to visit every day; had profusely thanked Yosuke for staying by her son's side and taking care of him, but Derrick only came to visit twice. Both times, he'd delivered subtly derisive comments about how Jude had been stupid enough to get himself shot chasing criminals, and it had taken all Yosuke had inside of him not to physically remove Dr. Mathis from the room.

But rather than think of that, Yosuke asked, "you okay?" He knew how taxing talking to his father could be on Jude.

"I'm alright," Jude answered, more closing the topic for conversation than giving a real answer. Someday, Yosuke resolved, he'd get Jude to open up about his father. "How is Rise?"

And that was classic Jude. Always thinking about others, no matter what was going on with him. But Yosuke loved that about him. "She's okay. She said she's going to stop by tomorrow with some tofu miso soup for you." A little smile crossed his face as he put his hand on Jude's good hand on the bed.

Jude looked down at their hands and smiled a little bit. "See, now I'm hungry," he chuckled a little bit. "Oh. I got a text from Ken. They want to stop by tomorrow after school, too."

Seeing Jude and Ken together was amusing. Ken was a lot like Jude in a lot of ways, so it was almost like a past and present mirror, and Yosuke loved the way that Ken saw Jude as a mentor. He could tell that it meant a lot to Jude. And it was hard to ignore the fact that Elize seemed to act the same way with Yosuke. Sometimes, he wished there was a way to get them out of their foster home, but through discussions with Jude, really, the most they could do was provide them with a respite and the same mentorship they'd been giving. It sucked, but it was what it was.

"I think spending some time with him will do you some good." A smile crossed Yosuke's face.

After a few seconds of quiet, Jude looked at Yosuke and bit down on his lip. "You know... it can't be comfortable sleeping on that cot every night." It wasn't the first time he'd made that argument, and Yosuke was sure it wouldn't be the last.

But Yosuke could also tell that he didn't mean a word of it. "I'm not leaving." It was a concise statement, but no less poignant.

"I'm just... I wouldn't blame you if you did, that's all I'm saying. I..."

The words were phrased in a certain way; Jude was saying it like he meant 'for now,' but Yosuke could see the words on the wall behind the curtain clear as day. Just as he'd suspected, Jude was worrying about what this whole incident meant. For them. And it made sense, with everything he knew about Yosuke and how he dealt with loss, or near-loss, in this case... but it wasn't necessary.

Yosuke shook his head, cutting Jude off before he finished speaking. "I'm not leaving." His tone was gentler this time, in an attempt to convey the deeper meaning in return. "Not now, not ever." Not a confession of love, no, but it was something. Something to tell Jude, on no uncertain terms, where he stood. How he felt.

It was a hefty statement, but one that he felt, in his heart of hearts, that he could keep.


	24. Velvet

**February 11th, 2015**

_Everything was blue. It was oddly reminiscent of the place they'd found Souji in two years ago, a fact which made goosebumps rise on Yosuke's arms. Immediately, he made himself aware of everything around him, and he was stunned at how..._ serene _it felt in this room. Considering the memory he attached to it, serenity was the last thing he expected to feel, but it was certainly there._

_It looked almost like an airplane, except everything inside was blue. Blue walls, blue seats... just blue. He blinked, trying to dispel any kind of illusion, but when nothing changed, realization sank in. At least sort of. There was something strange going on here, of that much he was sure. This was a dream, wasn't it? So, why did he feel aware? Awake? It was odd and surreal, this feeling, but it only grew more so when he turned his attention forward and spotted an old man with an unhumanly long nose and a yellow eyed woman with blond hair. Had they been there before? Had he just not noticed them?_

_He opened his mouth to ask, but try as he might, his voice didn't come out._

_"Welcome to the Velvet Room..." the man said. No malice could be found in his voice, but the tone was still a little bit_ different _from normal. He seemed like he knew something, which was both comforting and not._

_He flashed a smile, which should have probably comforted Yosuke, but it didn't. The knowing expression on his face intensified, and Yosuke instantly realized that a bomb was about to be dropped. He stared expectantly at the man, waiting for him to speak like he said he was going to._

_Seeming to sense this, the man nodded. "You're wondering where this room is, aren't you?" he asked, his bulging eyes staring expectantly at Yosuke._

_All he could do was nod, honestly. Maybe this was the man's way of allowing him to speak, but the words he needed evaded him. So, rather than make any sort of unintelligible noise or anything else that would make him sound foolish, he opted to just nod instead._

_"This place exists between dream and reality; between mind and matter. Only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter this room."_

_Dream and reality? A contract? Yosuke blinked a couple of times and thought, trying to remember signing any contract. And what did this whole 'dream and reality' thing mean? There was a place between dream and reality? Though, he supposed, that it explained why he felt awake. Unless this was all just a dream, too. He blinked hard and looked up at the man._

_Once again, when he tried to vocalize his thoughts, tried to ask his question, nothing came out._

_The man smiled again. "My name is Igor. And I believe that you are, or should I say were, friends with one of our previous guests. Your name is Yosuke, correct?"_

__Were _friends? Souji? He blinked, and then nodded in response to Igor's question. Souji had been to this room before? There was something different about Souji's power. The ability to change personas and summon different ones was something only Souji had. Was this where he'd gotten it? Yosuke was here, did that mean that_ he _was going to get that power now, too? These questions spun around in his mind and he found himself having to blink to keep from futilely trying to blurt them all out._

_Instead, he just waited for Igor to speak up again._

_"I can see that you're a little bit confused. But there is a reason we called you here, and it's simply to let you know that we may yet call on you again in the future. Your destiny has not yet been reached."_

_Yosuke swallowed thickly and blinked at Igor. "Destiny?" he croaked, his voice finally reaching his lips._

_Igor nodded. "Each guest that enters this room has their own destiny. We don't determine that destiny, no, but it is our job to help ensure that you reach it safely." His sing-songy voice lilted throughout the room, and the words both relaxed and confused Yosuke at the same time._

_But he didn't say anything about that. Instead, he asked, "so... I have a destiny?"_

_He'd honestly never been a big believer in destiny, beyond the fact that he was pretty sure that he was destined to work at Junes for the rest of his life. Hearing that he had some kind of destiny, even if it was from something that he wasn't entirely sure was real yet, was an interesting thought._

_"A destiny that it's not quite your time to reach yet." His voice was calm, but serious. "We will attend to the details another time, however."_

_Another time? But wait. He'd just dropped a bomb in Yosuke's brain, and the woman beside him hadn't said a word... and now they'd attend to the details another time? He made a face of obvious disapproval. But even as he focused back on the man, he could feel the area around him shifting. Changing. The blue seats and walls were spotting into haze, and the faces of the two mystery people were fading as well._

_Igor spoke again, and even his voice sounded distant. "Until then, farewell."_

_The last thing Yosuke saw before the whole room faded into dreamlike haze was a tarot card, appearing in Igor's hand._

*

He awoke moments later, in his bedroom, with Jude sleeping beside him. Blinking a couple of times, he tried to push the memory of the dream away, and pulled in a deep breath. He needed a drink of water, but with Jude on the outside of the bed, standing between him and the door, it didn't seem like it was happening. In the three weeks since Adachi had shot him, full night's worth of sleep were hard for Jude to come by. When he wasn't plagued by nightmares, he would occasionally roll the wrong way and accidentally agitate the wound. He was sleeping peacefully now, and Yosuke just didn't have the heart to ask him to move.

So, rather than go for the glass of water he needed, he looked out the window beside his bed at the quickly melting snow on the ground.

That dream. Was it a dream? Yosuke wet his lips and pulled in a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. It felt like reality, but it also felt like a weird dream. And if it _wasn't_ a dream... was it true that Souji had been there, too? Was it true that Yosuke had some kind of special destiny? He sighed in spite of himself and smoothed a hand through his hair.

But only when he heard movement on Jude's side of the bed, did he realize that he probably shouldn't have made a noise.

"Yosuke?" Jude's voice came from the other side of the bed.

Turning his head, he looked at Jude with a guilty expression on his face. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

With a shake of his head, Jude tried to roll over, but immediately winced instead. "Ah. Y-you're fine. It's fine," he mumbled, trying to be nonchalant about the pain he was most definitely in.

Quickly but gently, Yosuke moved to help Jude into a sitting position. Honestly, never in his life did he think he'd be a good care-giver for someone in a situation like this, but since Jude's injury, he found that there wasn't much he wanted to do more than help him get healthy again. He could tell, sometimes, that it made Jude feel guilty, no matter how Yosuke tried to prevent it. As much as he told Jude it was okay, he understood. Jude could barely do the things he'd gotten so used to doing anymore. For the most part, they had to order out for dinner, Yosuke did most of the cleaning... it was Jude's dominant arm, so Yosuke could only imagine how difficult it was to do things as simple as writing or tying his shoes.

"Better?" he asked.

Jude nodded and looked over at him with inquisitive eyes, just barely masking the discomfort he was obviously still in. "What are you doing awake, anyway?" he asked.

With a sigh, Yosuke shrugged. "Weird dream. One of those dreams that you feel like you're awake during." Though he wasn't entirely sure that was the case, it was the easiest explanation without making him sound like he was insane.

But, in typical fashion, Jude saw right through the ruse and looked at him suspiciously. "Sounds like a little more than that. Or at least that's what the look on your face is saying." His tone was calm, and he nonchalantly adjusted the hem of his sling.

Yosuke chuckled. "You could say that." There was no point in hiding, really. But where did he begin? "Do you, um... do you remember that blue train station? Where we found Souji a couple years ago?" he asked, and when Jude nodded, he continued. "It was a place like that. Totally blue. It wasn't a train station or anything... it was actually a plane. But it was all blue. And there were these two people. One was an old guy with a really long nose, who said his name was Igor. The other one was this really pretty woman. They told me that..."

He paused. They hadn't told him a lot, not really. But what they had told him was... it was confusing.

"That..." Jude urged him to continue.

He chewed on his lip. "They... they told me that I have a destiny that I haven't reached yet. That Souji was one of their 'guests' too. It was like... they told me a lot, but they didn't tell me anything. And it was really hard to tell if it was... if it was a dream or not." He sighed, then waited for the moment that Jude told him he was crazy.

But honestly, he should have known better. Jude never did things like that.

An eyebrow arched, he hummed thoughtfully. "So, do you think, maybe, it was real?" There wasn't even a hint of judgement or doubt in his tone. If Yosuke thought it was real, Jude would, too. It was still amazing to him how Jude always did that.

Still, he wasn't sure what he thought, honestly. "I'm not sure," he said simply. "But if it is... what if I end up with the same power Souji had? What if it..." he paused, "what if it drives me insane, too?" No, he didn't know if it was the power, necessarily, that drove Souji insane, but even after _everything_ , a stupidly wistful side of him had to hope that it was something like that. That it wasn't something inside Souji all along that felt that way.

Jude shook his head no. "That won't happen," he said flatly. The certainty in his voice was comforting, sure, but he honestly felt a little bit guilty about it. Jude's faith in him was comforting. But how could he _know_? How could he be sure?

He stared at his hands, not saying anything.

"Hey," Jude said softly, nudging his knee against Yosuke's to get his attention. "It won't."

There was that certainty again. Yosuke frowned. "How can you be sure?" he asked, turning to glance at Jude.

Jude shrugged his good shoulder. "Well, first of all, let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? We don't even know if that's what it meant, right?" And then, after a breath, he said, "and it won't happen, because I won't let it. If I see you going down that path, I'll bring you back. Somehow. Whatever it takes."

The smile on his face was gentle, and if the intent was to make Yosuke feel better, he'd definitely succeeded. If only a little. He didn't know how much truth there was to the words, but the look on Jude's face... the ease with which he gave his comfort... Yosuke believed him. Believed that he'd do whatever he had to, to ensure that Yosuke didn't lose himself, if this turned out to be true. If. That was still a huge if.

Yosuke couldn't keep himself from leaning in to press his lips against Jude's. The faith his best friend put in him was warming to his very core. When the kiss broke, he pushed some of Jude's hair from his eyes and gave him a little smile. And maybe it was the way Jude's smile looked in the moonlight, or maybe it was the fact that Yosuke knew that Jude meant every single word he was saying, but before he could stop himself, he found the words, "I love you," slipping from his mouth.

Jude's smile faded, but his expression wasn't sad. His eyes were wide, wider than usual, and his jaw hung slack. "Wh... what did you say?" he asked.

On the very tip of his tongue was a request not to make him repeat it, but rather than voice that, he breathed deep. Jude deserved to hear the words. After everything he'd been through because of Yosuke, he deserved to hear the words more than anything else. "I said I love you." He paused. "I love you, Jude."

The shock faded from Jude's expression, and a little smile quirked across his face. "I love you, too," he said, in a soft and tender voice.

Jude's tone of voice was enough to make Yosuke's heart swell on its own, but the gentle kiss that Jude pressed to his cheek made the feeling even stronger. He lifted the blanket and nestled back in, then watched as Jude slowly and carefully moved to do the same. After carefully watching to make sure that Jude didn't hurt himself getting into bed, Yosuke propped his head up on his elbow and lay on his side, giving Jude a sleepy smile. It wasn't some elaborate confession, no, but at least it was out there. Jude knew, now, that he wasn't the only one in this... whatever it was. Whatever it was. The thought was unfair, but it was the only way to describe what they were to one another right now.

Now Jude knew. That was what mattered.

And if things got too crazy with this new enemy, Jude would be there. Jude would make sure that he didn't go over the edge. That he didn't lose himself. As he lowered himself to the pillow, the feeling of disquiet faded just a little. Everything would be okay. Whatever they faced... it would be okay.


End file.
